Sri Lankan Ingredients in United States

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

• Coconut milk

  Buy unsweetened full-fat canned coconut milk: Chaokoh, Aroy-D or Thai Kitchen all work. Avoid the "coconut beverage" cartons in the dairy aisle; they're too watery for curry. Look in the Asian/international aisle of any Kroger, Safeway or Walmart.

• Curry leaves

  Indian grocers (Patel Brothers, the big chain) sell fresh curry leaves cheaply. Buy a big bunch and freeze the rest in a zip-top bag; they keep their aroma for months. Dried leaves are a weak last resort.

• Goraka (Malabar tamarind)

  Hard to find in person; order dried goraka online (search "goraka" or "Garcinia cambogia"). Or substitute regular tamarind paste, using a little more to match the sourness in fish curry.

• Maldive fish

  Sri Lankan and some Indian online stores ship Maldive fish chips or flakes. If you can't get it, a small pinch of dried shrimp powder or a dash of fish sauce gives a similar umami hit in sambols.

• Pandan (rampe)

  Frozen pandan leaves are sold at most Thai, Vietnamese and Filipino grocers; check the freezer. Pandan extract works in a pinch for colour and aroma but skip it in savoury curries.

• Roasted curry powder

  Look for Sri Lankan brands (MD, Larich) at South Asian stores, or order online. Don't substitute Indian "curry powder"; it's milder and turmeric-heavy. Better to roast your own (see our curry powder guide).

• Red rice and basmati

  Sri Lankan red raw rice (rathu kekulu) shows up at Indian grocers; otherwise red cargo rice or a long-grain like sona masoori is the closest everyday swap.

• Pol sambol coconut

  Frozen grated coconut (unsweetened, Thai or Indian brands) is the best stand-in for fresh scraped coconut. Thaw and squeeze out excess water before using. Avoid sweetened desiccated coconut.