Sri Lankan Chicken Curry with Extra Gravy (Perfect for Koththu)

This chicken curry is the foundation of a really good koththu. Unlike a typical curry you’d serve with rice, this one is made with extra gravy—rich, flavorful, and perfect for soaking into every piece of roti when making koththu.

While it pairs beautifully with roti and can still be enjoyed with rice, this recipe is intentionally designed to be a little looser and saucier. That added gravy is what brings everything together in koththu and gives it that signature taste.

Due to popular demand for a koththu recipe, I decided to start with the foundational Sri Lankan chicken curry. This Sri Lankan chicken curry is step one—the base that sets up everything that comes next.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we turn this into a proper koththu.

So let's get cooking!

Ingredients :

• 800g chicken (about 3 bone-in chicken thighs)

• 1 tbsp garlic

• 1 tbsp ginger

• 5 cloves

• 5 cardamom pods

• 2 tbsp oil

• 5–6 curry leaves

• ½ tbsp chili powder

• 1 tsp curry powder

• 1 tbsp roasted curry powder (black curry powder)

• 1½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp tamarind puree

• 2 cups water (adjust depending on how much gravy you want)

Directions:

Step 1

Pat the chicken dry and cut it into your desired pieces.

Step 2

Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic, ginger, cloves, and cardamom together into a rough paste.

Step 3

Heat oil in a pan. Add curry leaves and the crushed mixture. Add chili powder and sauté until everything is fragrant and well combined.

(Optional: add a 3-inch piece of pandan leaf if you have it.)

Step 4

Add the chicken and mix well to coat it in the spices. Then add salt, roasted curry powder, curry powder, and tamarind puree.

Mix, cover, and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Step 5

Open the lid, give it a good mix, then add 2 cups of water.

Cover and cook on medium-low heat for another 10–15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Final Note

How long you cook the chicken curry depends on how much gravy you want, so I’ll leave it up to you. Enjoy!

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