Kiri Hodi: Sri Lankan Coconut Milk Curry

Sri Lanka’s Kiri Hodi- a mild yet flavorful curry might come to your rescue when you’re looking for a quick dinner recipe.

There’s just something about a bowl of steaming hot curry that spells comfort food all the way. And thankfully, it doesn’t always have to be complicated and difficult to make. Sri Lanka’s Kiri Hodi is the perfect example- it is a fragrant and flavorful coconut milk-based curry that is mildly spiced and has just the perfect balance of ingredients that make it such a big success- regardless of what your taste buds prefer.

The best part is, you need just a handful of kitchen essentials and a few minutes to make the curry. It goes so well with practically anything you have at hand and is the definition of soulful and healthy food.

Jump to:

Ingredients For the Recipe
Kitchen Tools Needed
How to Make the Kiri Hodi
Frequently Asked Questions
Tips to Make the Kiri Hodi
Kiri Hodi: Sri Lankan Coconut Milk Curry

Tempted to give it a try? Here’s all you need to know about making it the right way.

Ingredients For the Recipe

You’ll need just a few simple ingredients to replicate the Kiri Hodi.

Coconut milk: 2 cups
Onion (sliced): ½ cup
Green chilies (slit): 2-3
Garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Fenugreek seeds (roasted): ½ tsp
Lemon juice: 2 tbsps
Salt: 1 tsp or as per taste

Zoom image of Kiri Hodi: Sri Lankan Coconut Milk Curry

Kitchen Tools Needed

How to Make the Kiri Hodi

Got all your ingredients and kitchen tools ready? Here’s what you need to do next to make the Kiri Hodi.

Take a deep-bottomed vessel and put it on medium flame.

add coconut milk, garlic paste, green chilies, sliced onions, turmeric powder, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds to the pan

Add the coconut milk, garlic paste, green chilies, sliced onions, turmeric powder, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, and bring everything to a boil.

Let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Add the salt and lemon juice next and mix well.

Allow the mixture to simmer for another minute.

Kiri Hodi is ready. Serve it hot with plain rice or a mild-flavored pulao.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Else Can I Add to the Kiri Hodi?

The Kiri Hodi is super versatile, which means you can enjoy it as is, or add some other ingredients into it too. Here are a few good ideas you can try out.
Chicken: Most Sri Lankan curries that have chicken as an additional ingredient are then called Kukul Mas curry. If you have some extra chicken in your freezer, waiting to be put to use, you can actually make it a part of this curry too. All you’ll need to do is marinate the cubed chicken in the spices of your choice, cook them in a bit of oil and then add them into the curry.
Potatoes: Potatoes are another classic you can never go wrong with. All you need to do is boil some potatoes until they are about 60% done, cut them into cubes, and then add them into the curry and let them cook completely. The potatoes will absorb all the flavor from the curry and you’ll end up with a super filling and nutritious curry.
Other veggies: Apart from the potatoes, you can also add other veggies of your choice into the curry. Green peas, green beans, cauliflower florets, carrots, butternut squash, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and yam are all excellent options you can pick from. Kiri Hodi served in a bowl with rice

How Do I Store the Leftovers?

Your leftover Kiri Hodi can be refrigerated for 3-5 days- it depends on what else you decide to add to the curry. The simple coconut milk curry can last longer, but if you’re adding chicken into it, it is best to consume it within 3 days.
The curry is freezer friendly too- you can make it in a decent-sized batch and freeze it for up to 2 months. That way, you’ll just need to allow the curry to thaw before you reheat it and then serve it. Top view image of Sri Lankan Coconut Milk Curry

Tips to Make the Kiri Hodi

The recipe is super easy to make no doubt, but you can always keep these little tips and tricks in mind to make sure you nail the recipe.

Coconut milk is the star ingredient of this recipe, which is why it is a good idea to choose the best quality you can get your hands on. You can use packaged coconut milk or extract it yourself using a strainer and a food processor- it all depends on how much time you have at hand.
Using full-fat coconut milk is best since it will lend the Kiri Hodi the perfect thickness and creaminess you want it to have. You could use low-fat coconut milk too, but it is more likely to make your curry watery and thin.
The green chilies used in the recipe are supposed to be hot- you can add more of them or reduce the amount you’re adding them based on your personal taste preference.
To lend an extra depth of flavor to the Kiri Hodi, you can also add some umbalakada, which is basically smoked and dried Maldive fish, often used as a part of Sri Lankan cuisine.
Got some curry powder? You can also add a teaspoon of that into it if you want your curry to be more flavorful.
Want a bit of extra texture to your curry? You can toast some halved cashew nuts in a bit of oil until they are brown, and then add them to the curry over the top, right before you serve.
And finally, if you want your curry to have some extra creaminess, you can add some coconut cream into the mix and let it simmer for a few minutes before taking it off heat.

Hot Sri Lankan Coconut Milk Curry served with rice

Serving Ideas & Suggestions

Kiri Hodi is typically served with pol sambol (a coconut-based relish) and some string hoppers, and if you’re planning to try your hands at a complete Sri Lankan feast, you should definitely give them both a try.

You can also team up the curry with any flatbread or naan, or even some steamed rice to make it a simple meal. If you’re planning to make the curry for some guests, you can also prepare some raita or a nice salad like this Russian-style potato salad.