Sri Lankan Ingredients in United Kingdom

A pantry-by-pantry guide to tracking down the building blocks of authentic Ceylon cooking in United Kingdom, plus the everyday swaps that keep the flavour close when the real thing isn't to hand.

• Coconut milk

  Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda all stock full-fat tinned coconut milk; the supermarket own-brand is fine. For the real thing, Sri Lankan grocers sell frozen coconut milk and even fresh-pressed.

• Curry leaves

  Fresh curry leaves are sold at every South Asian grocer and many larger Tesco/Asda stores. Buy plenty and freeze; they're cheap and the frozen ones still smell wonderful when fried.

• Goraka

  Sri Lankan shops (especially Tamil grocers in London and Manchester) stock dried goraka. Online too. Tamarind from any Indian aisle is the everyday substitute for fish curry.

• Maldive fish

  Widely available in Sri Lankan and Tamil grocers as "Maldive fish" chips. Keep it in the freezer. Belacan or a little dried shrimp powder will stand in if needed.

• Pandan (rampe)

  Frozen pandan leaves are in most South Asian and Thai grocers. Some Sri Lankan shops sell fresh. A leaf or two transforms rice and milk puddings.

• Sri Lankan curry powder

  MD, Larich and other Sri Lankan brands of roasted (dark) and unroasted curry powder are everywhere in Tamil grocers. Don't reach for generic "madras curry powder"; it's a different flavour.

• Red rice

  Sri Lankan red raw rice and nadu rice are sold at Tamil grocers. Supermarkets carry red camargue or wholegrain alternatives if you can't get the real thing.

• Jaggery and treacle

  Kithul treacle and jaggery (hakuru) for watalappam and sweets are easy to find in Sri Lankan shops. Dark muscovado sugar or date syrup is a passable swap for the treacle.