Thanks to Covid-19, all of us have been binge- watching old favourites on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney Hotstar. I have recently been immersed in Covert Affairs, something I used to watch in the later part of the last decade. Apart from the thrills and the international destinations, what I love about the show it is the food.

As Annie and Ben race through Sri Lanka, being shot at by almost everyone in the world, they stop at a roadside stall and have Sri Lanka’s favourite street food, Kothu Roti and Chicken. I remember having this with my husband in Colombo on my way to Singapore from India back in 2000.

So I decided to try and make this popular dish. It takes some doing as I had to make Sri Lankan chicken curry and Godambu Roti (wheat bread) separately and then assemble the dish on a hot heavy-bottomed pan.

Ingredients

(Serves 6)

Leftover Sri Lankan Chicken Curry

For the Godambu Roti:
Wholewheat flour or atta 1 1/2 cups
Oil 1 tbsp
Salt 1 tsp

Eggs 2
Onions 2 medium, 1 sliced and 1 chopped
Cabbage 1/2, sliced
Carrot 1, peeled and grated
Spring onions 3
Green chillies 2, chopped
Curry leaves few sprigs
Salt to taste
Masala made for Sri Lankan Chicken Curry 2 tbsp
Tomatoes 2, chopped

Method

Shred the chicken and remove any bones.

Add oil and salt to the wheat flour and knead well to make a soft dough using as much water as needed. I followed this recipe for Godamba Roti, but modified the quantities of the ingredients as I did not want to make as many rotis.

Make lemon-sized balls and soak them in oil for seven hours.

Spread on a flat surface using your fingers.

Toast on a hot tawa or griddle. I used Futura’s nonstick tawa. It works best.

Add some of the chopped onions, tomatoes and green chillies to the eggs with salt and whisk briskly. Scramble in a hot frying pan with 1 tsp of oil.

Snip the Roti into ribbons using a pair of kitchen scissors.

In a wide heavy-bottomed pan, take 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the onions, cabbage, carrots, green chillies, curry leaves and spring onions and stir fry on high heat. Add tomatoes and some salt. Be careful not to add too much because the chicken and the scrambled eggs already contain salt.

Add the chicken and the shredded roti. Add the masala that was made for the Sri Lankan Chicken Curry.

Add the scrambled eggs and toss well to mix everything.

Serve hot. This dish needs no accompaniments. It is a highly nutritious and satisfying dish by itself.