Looking to create a healthy, vegan meal for your dinner? Give this flavorful Sri Lankan potato curry a try!
When you think about vegan curries and meals, it is all about using simple ingredients that are easily available and making the most of what you have at hand. This Sri Lankan potato curry recipe is just that. It uses a delicious blend of spices, a coconut milk base, and some potatoes to craft a creamy and flavor-packed curry that is so versatile, you can have it with anything.
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Want to give the recipe a try? Scroll down to discover more about it and how you can make it in your kitchen.
Ingredients For the Recipe
To make your Sri Lankan potato curry, you’ll need two sets of ingredients- the curry powder and the curry base.
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 Sri Lankan Potato Curry
- Potatoes (cut into quarters): 3-4
- Water: 1 cup
- Onions (chopped): 1 cup
- Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
- Pandan leaves: A bunch
- Curry leaves (chopped): 1 sprig
- Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
- Sri Lankan curry powder: 2 tsp
- Salt: As per taste
- Fenugreek seeds: ½ tsp
- Red Chili powder: 1 tsp
- Coconut milk: 1 cup
Kitchen Tools Needed
How to Make the Sri Lankan Potato Curry
Once you have all your ingredients and essentials ready, here’s what you need to do to make the curry from scratch.
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.
Take a deep-bottomed vessel and add the potatoes.
Next, add water to the potatoes. Make sure the water covers the potatoes well enough so that they are properly cooked.
Add all the remaining ingredients except coconut milk and let the mixture simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the potatoes are properly cooked.
Once the potatoes are cooked, add the coconut milk and mix well.
Serve hot with rice or roti of your choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
This classic Sri Lankan potato curry tastes incredible on its own, but you can also add some more veggies to it to make it a healthier, complete meal. Leafy greens like spinach and kale are a good place to start, but if you don’t mind going beyond that, you can also throw in some cauliflower florets, sliced mushrooms, sliced zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, green beans, peas, or carrots- they all can work wonderfully with the subtle flavor of the curry and improve its nutritive value.
Remember that each of these veggies have a different cooking time, so you might want to add them to the curry accordingly to ensure that they are all perfectly cooked. 
Just like with most other Sri Lankan curries and recipes, coconut milk is an important ingredient. It is what lends the curry that delicious creaminess and nutty flavor, and if you don’t have coconut milk, you can add a bit of coconut cream into the curry towards the end.
If you don’t have either of those, you can add some cream or whisked yogurt into the curry.
Your leftover Sri Lankan potato curry can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Then, when you want to reheat, just get it out and microwave it or add in some more coconut milk or water and reheat it on low heat on the stovetop.
While you can also freeze the curry, the process of freezing and then thawing it will cause the potatoes to break apart in the curry, which will cause it to become mushy. 
Tips to Make the Sri Lankan Potato Curry
Before you jump right into the recipe, here are some additional tips and tricks you might want to keep in mind to make sure you nail the recipe.
- This curry is supposed to have a very subtle, mild taste, but if you don’t mind a bit of heat, you can add some chopped green chilies to it.
- After you add the coconut milk or cream, turn the heat down and let the curry simmer. Also, remember to keep stirring the curry every few minutes.
- While boiling the potatoes, remember to get them out of the water after they seem 60-70% cooked. Boiling them until they are completely done will cause the potatoes to break down in the curry.
- If you want to boil the potatoes quickly, you can pressure cook them.
- You could use any kind of potatoes for this recipe. Just cut them roughly the same size before you drop them in the water to boil them. You can also boil them with the skin on to maintain their structural integrity.
- Don’t forget to top the Sri Lankan potato curry with some chopped coriander leaves on the top, as a garnish.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Just like any other classic soulful curry, this tastes best when served with some roti or parathas on the side. You can also go with the classic steamed rice if you’re planning to make the curry as a filling meal for the entire family. And if you have a few extra minutes, you can put a little spin of spice on the rice and turn it into this spicy lemon rice and serve it with the curry.
Want to make it a complete Sri Lankan feast? Team it up with pol roti, string hoppers and pol sambol. And if you don’t have the time to make any of these, you can also serve it with some quick raita on the side.
Easy Sri Lankan Potato Curry
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Sri Lankan Curry Powder
- 2 tsp Basmati rice
- 3-4 pc 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 Sri Lankan Potato Curry
- 3-4 pcs Potatoes (cut into quarters)
- 1 cup Water
- 1 cup Onions (chopped)
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- A bunch Pandan leaves
- 1 sprig Curry leaves (chopped)
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder
- As per taste Salt
- ½ tsp Fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp Red Chili powder
- 1 cup Coconut milk
Instructions
- For the Sri Lankan Curry Powder, start by first dry roasting the basmati rice for about 30 seconds on mediumflame.2 tsp Basmati rice
- Next, add all the remaining dry spices to the same pan and dry roast until done.3-4 pc 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
- Keep the mixture aside to cooldown and then grind the same into a powder. Store it in an airtight container for future use.
- Take a deep bottomed vessel and add the potatoes.3-4 pcs Potatoes
- Next, add water to the potatoes. Make sure the water covers the potatoes well enough so that they are properlycooked.1 cup Water
- Add all the remaining ingredientsexcept coconut milk and let the mixture simmer for 10-12 minutes or until thepotatoes are properly cooked.1 cup Onions, 1 inch Cinnamon stick, A bunch Pandan leaves, 1 sprig Curry leaves, ½ tsp Turmeric powder, 2 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder, As per taste Salt, ½ tsp Fenugreek seeds, 1 tsp Red Chili powder
- Once the potatoes are cooked, add the coconut milk and mix well.1 cup Coconut milk
- Serve hot with rice or roti ofyour choice.
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