The traditional wayside stall evening snack, Kottu Roti, has been modernised into an instant Sri Lankan snack that you can buy in a supermarket and make at home.
The real Kottu Roti requires time and energy to prepare. First the cook, in his little cubicle in a village café, mixes rice flour with water and rolls it into a ball. This is placed within easy reach ready for when a customer orders a Kottu.
He then flattens the ball and toasts it on a hot plate before chopping it up vigorously with added ingredients like vegetables, meat or chicken, and sometimes an egg. The noise of the chopping on metal is enough to set the saliva flowing at the promise of a tasty, and filling, typical Sri Lankan snack.
Now even the laziest cook can produce this do-it-yourself snack within minutes, just by adding hot water. Thanks to modern technology instant Kottu, manufactured in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, is on sale. It is one hundred per cent rice flour (bran partially removed), vegan, dairy free, soy free, egg free, nut free, wheat free, yeast free and gluten free and rich in fibres, no artificial colouring, flavouring or preservatives and an easily digestible food, it is the perfect “pasta” for those with food allergies.
It has to be soaked in boiling water (which needs to be drained off when the kottu strips are soft) and then mixed and served with anything savoury – meat or vegetables. Some dashes of sesame oil add extra intrigue to the taste. Although there is no chopping chorus, it replicates the substantial texture of authentic kottu, without the thin flavour of customary rice-flour noodles.
Guru Tip
The 400g packet is enough for several wholesome meals and easy to take home after a holiday to remind you of Sri Lankan snacks. It costs less than a dollar. You may have to hunt for it as not all supermarkets stock it.
