Sri Lankan Potato & Coconut Curry (Ala Curry)
A frugal, home-style Sri Lankan potato curry simmered in coconut milk and tempered with mustard and curry leaves. Cheap, satisfying, and easy to stretch with rice.
AI image45 min
start to finish
15 min
hands on
Easy
difficulty
4
servings
Ingredients
Curry
Finishing
Roughly, per serving
380 kcal6g protein52g carbs13g fat
An estimate, not a lab analysis.
Method
Put the peeled, cubed potatoes into a bowl of cold water to stop them discolouring while you prep the other ingredients.
Heat the oil in a 10–12 inch (25–30 cm) deep skillet or saucepan over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and wait until they begin to pop.
Add the dried red chilies and curry leaves and fry, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Add the sliced onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5–7 minutes.
Stir in the turmeric and curry powder and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute to wake up the spices.
Drain the potatoes and add them to the pan; toss to coat the pieces in the spiced oil and onion for 1–2 minutes.
Pour in the coconut milk and water, add the salt and sugar, and bring the pot to a gentle simmer.
Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover part-way, and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 18–22 minutes.
Uncover, increase heat for 1–2 minutes to thicken the sauce if it looks very thin, then remove from heat and stir in lime juice and chopped cilantro if using.
Taste and adjust seasoning (salt, sugar or lime), then transfer to a serving bowl.
Worth knowing
- If you don't have Sri Lankan curry powder, use 1 tsp ground coriander + 1/2 tsp ground cumin + 1/4 tsp ground black pepper instead.
- Use one can of full-fat coconut milk for a richer, creamier result; use light coconut milk to keep calories and cost lower.
- This curry keeps and reheats well — flavors deepen after a day. Store in the fridge up to 3 days or freeze in portions for up to 1 month.
- Serve with steamed rice, roti, or homemade pol sambol (grated coconut relish) if budget permits.
- If curry leaves are unavailable, a strip of lime zest adds a similar bright, citrus note.
Make it yours
Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.
VegetarianVeganGluten-freeDairy-freeBudgetMeal prepOne pan
More Sri Lankan cooking
An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Sri Lankan cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be vegetarian and vegan and gluten-free and dairy-free as listed.