Tangy, spicy, and bursting with flavor and deliciousness- this Sri Lankan sour chicken curry recipe is a total winner!
When it comes to making a good curry, the key is to use simple, minimal ingredients, but use them in the best way possible. And that’s what this Sri Lankan sour chicken recipe is all about.
This curry takes very minimal effort to put together, and is one curry you’ll most certainly find yourself making again and again- it tastes that delicious.
Jump to:
Ready to try it out? Here’s all you need to know about it before you do.
Ingredients For the Recipe
You’ll need three sets of ingredients to make the curry. If you already have the Sri Lankan curry powder, you can skip the ingredients for the first set and proceed with the rest.
For the Sri Lankan Curry Powder:
- Basmati rice: 2 tbsp
- Dry red chilies: 3-4
- Mustard seeds: 1 tbsp
- Coriander seeds: 2 tbsps
- Cumin seeds: 1 tbsp
- Fennel seeds: 2 tsp
- Cloves: 5-6
- Black pepper (Whole): 3 tbsps
For the Chicken marination
- Goraka (also known as brindle berry, Malabar tamarind, and Garcinia gummi-gutta): ¼ cup
- Water: As required
- Chicken breast (cubed): 250 gms
- Black pepper (crushed): 4 tbsps
- Sri Lankan curry powder: 2 tbsps
- Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
- Salt: 2 tsp
For the Chicken Ambulthiyal Curry
- Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
- Curry leaves: 1 sprig
- Ginger garlic paste: 2 tbsps
- Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
- Spring onions: 1 cup
- Marinated chicken
- Water: As required
Kitchen Tools Needed
How to Make the Sri Lankan Sour Chicken
Once you have all your ingredients and kitchen tools ready, here’s what you need to do to make the chicken.
For the Sri Lankan Curry Powder, start by first dry roasting the basmati rice for about 30 seconds on medium flame.
Next, add all the remaining dry spices to the same pan and dry roast until done.
Keep the mixture aside to cool down and then grind the same into a powder. Store it in an airtight container for future use.
Next, start the steps for marinating the chicken. Heat water in a pan and add the Goraka. Let it boil for about 2 minutes until it becomes soft and can be easily turned into pulp.
Take the chicken on a plate and add crushed black pepper, curry powder, turmeric powder, and salt.
Add the boiled Goraka and give it a good mix. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
Next, heat oil in a pan. Add the curry leaves, ginger garlic paste, cinnamon stick, and spring onions. Saute.
Add the marinated chicken and mix well.
Cook the chicken for 7-8 minutes until 80% done.
Then add water as per your desired consistency and let the chicken simmer for a few minutes or until done.
Serve hot with rice and dal of your choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
While this recipe calls for the use of chicken breasts, you can use practically any cut of chicken you prefer. You’ll get a much bolder flavor into the curry if you use bone-in chicken of course, but you can also opt for boneless chicken thighs if you prefer a softer, tender cut for the curry.
That’s not all- you can completely skip using chicken and try the exact same recipe with fish as well. 
You might find Goraka easily in any food specialty stores near you, but if you’re making this curry quickly and don’t fancy a trip to the store, you can use tamarind paste or pulp as an alternative. Just remember that tamarind has a much sharper sour taste, so you might want to use less of it to keep the flavor of the curry from being too overpowered by the sourness. 
This classic Sri Lankan sour chicken tastes brilliant on its own, but you can also add in some jaggery to balance out the sourness of the curry, especially if you don’t prefer a sour-tasting curry.
You can stick to using chicken or fish as a protein, and also take it a step further by adding in some veggies of your choice. Think of simple, veggies like potatoes and carrots that have a subtle flavor that also complement the taste of the curry. 
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
Think you’re ready to give the recipe a try? Keep these additional tips and tricks in mind to nail it in the first shot.
- This Sri Lankan sour chicken is slightly dry in consistency, which is in contrast to most other curries you might have tried making. If you prefer your curry to have a more runny consistency, you can add a bit more water into it and allow it to simmer for a few additional minutes.
- Remember that while you can always add in other ingredients of your choice, the heat from the pepper and the sourness from the goraka are both the predominant flavors that you need to let shine through in the curry.
- Before you add the water, make sure you let the meat sear in the pan for a few minutes, till you get that nice golden-brown glaze on the meat.
- When crushing the black peppercorns, try to pulse it to a coarse powder as opposed to a smooth, even powder.
- Always cook this curry on low-medium heat, especially after you add the water in.
- Try to use a clay pot or a cast-iron skillet to make this curry. It’ll help the heat distribute evenly throughout the curry. If you don’t have either of those, you could also make do with a heavy bottomed pot.
How to Serve the Sri Lankan Sour Chicken
Your Ambulthiyal curry tastes best when paired with Sri Lankan roti or any flatbread of your choice. You can also team it up with some homemade naan or go the old-school way and pair it with some steaming hot rice (or flavored rice like lemon rice). And if you’re loving the nice sourness that this curry brings, you can also take it a step further and serve it with some tangy Indian tamarind cooler.
Sri Lankan Sour Chicken: Ambulthiyal Curry
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Sri Lankan Curry Powder
- 2 tsp Basmati rice
- 3-4 pcs Dry red chilies
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 2 tsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 2 tsp Fennel seeds
- 5-6 pcs Cloves
- 3 tsp Black pepper (Whole)
Ingredients for the Chicken marination
- ¼ cup Goraka (also known as brindle berry, Malabar tamarind and Garcinia gummi-gutta)
- As reqd Water
- 250 gms Chicken breast (cubed)
- 4 tsp Black pepper (crushed)
- 2 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 tsp Salt
Ingredients for the Chicken Ambulthiyal Curry
- 1 tsp Coconut oil
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- 2 tsp Ginger garlic paste
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- 1 cup Spring onions
- 1 Bowl Marinated chicken
- As reqd Water
Instructions
- For the Sri Lankan Curry Powder, start by first dry roasting the basmati rice for about 30 seconds on medium flame.2 tsp Basmati rice
- Next, add all the remaining dry spices to the same pan and dry roast until done.3-4 pcs Dry red chilies, 1 tsp Mustard seeds, 2 tsp Coriander seeds, 1 tsp Cumin seeds, 2 tsp Fennel seeds, 5-6 pcs Cloves
- Keep the mixture aside to cool down and then grind the same into a powder. Store it in an airtight container for future use.
- Next, start the steps formarinating the chicken. Heat water in a pan and add the Goraka. Let it boil forabout 2 minutes until it becomes soft and can be easily turned into pulp.As reqd Water
- Take the chicken in a plate and add crushed black pepper, curry powder, turmeric powder, and salt.3 tsp Black pepper, 250 gms Chicken breast, 2 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder, 1 tsp Turmeric powder, 2 tsp Salt, 4 tsp Black pepper
- Add the boiled Goraka and give it a good mix. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes.¼ cup Goraka
- Next, heat oil in a pan. Add the curry leaves, ginger garlic paste, cinnamon stick, and spring onions. Saute.1 tsp Coconut oil, 1 sprig Curry leaves, 2 tsp Ginger garlic paste, 1 inch Cinnamon stick, 1 cup Spring onions
- Add the marinated chicken and mix well.1 Bowl Marinated chicken
- Cook the chicken for 7-8 minutesuntil 80% done.
- Then add water as per your desired consistency and let the chickensimmer for a few minutes or until done.As reqd Water
- Serve hot with rice and dal of your choice.
Join the Discussion