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1
Make the Godamba Roti
15 Mins
Medium-high heat, ~180°C / 350°F
Knead the flour, 200ml water, half the roti oil and the roti salt into a soft, smooth dough. Rest 15 minutes, then divide into 4 balls, roll each into a thin round and cook on a dry hot griddle for about 1 minute per side until puffed and lightly browned. Brush with the remaining oil.
A soft, slightly sticky dough makes the best roti — add water a spoonful at a time rather than all at once.
Done when: Roti are puffed, pliable and lightly browned in spots.
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2
Chop the Roti
5 Mins
Room temperature
Stack the warm rotis and cut them into thin ribbons about 1 cm wide, then chop the ribbons into short pieces. Day-old roti is traditional for kottu, so slightly firm roti is fine — even better.
Cut the roti while it is still warm; cold roti tears instead of slicing cleanly.
Done when: Roti is in short, even ribbons ready for the griddle.
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3
Stir-Fry the Vegetables & Egg
5 Mins
High heat, ~200°C / 400°F
Heat the stir-fry oil on a large flat griddle or the widest pan you own. Fry the curry leaves, garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then add the onion, carrot, cabbage, leek, tomato and green chilli with the chilli powder and turmeric. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, push to one side, pour in the beaten eggs and scramble for 1 minute.
The griddle must be properly hot before anything touches it — that high heat is what gives kottu its street-stall flavour.
Done when: Vegetables are bright and just tender; egg is scrambled into soft curds.
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4
Add the Curry & Roti
3 Mins
High heat, ~200°C / 400°F
Add the shredded chicken curry with all its sauce and the soy sauce, and toss for 1 minute until everything is hot. The chicken must reach 74°C (165°F) when reheated. Tip in the chopped roti and toss so the ribbons soak up the sauce.
Add the roti in two batches if your pan is crowded — a crowded pan steams instead of frying.
Done when: Roti ribbons are coated in sauce and the whole pan is steaming hot.
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5
Chop & Toss on the Griddle
5 Mins
High heat, ~200°C / 400°F
Now the kottu part: using two metal spatulas or cleavers, chop and toss the mixture on the griddle with a steady rhythm, cutting the roti finer as you go. Keep chopping and turning for about 4 minutes until the roti is in small pieces, lightly crisped at the edges and mixed through with chicken, egg and vegetables.
This is where the sound comes from — street vendors chop loudly on purpose, and the chopping is what makes kottu kottu, not just fried roti.
Done when: Roti is chopped small, crisped at the edges and evenly mixed; the pan smells of roasted spice and fried onion.
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6
Serve at Once
2 Mins
Off the heat
Taste, add the remaining salt if needed, and pile the kottu onto warm plates. Spoon any extra chicken curry gravy over the top and serve immediately with pol sambol on the side.
Kottu waits for no one — it dries out and loses its crisp edges within minutes.
Done when: Kottu is piled high, steaming, with crisp-edged roti and saucy chicken in every forkful.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the kottu the moment it leaves the griddle, piled on warm plates with extra curry gravy spooned over the top. Eat it hot, with a spoon in one hand and a piece of pol sambol in the other — and listen for the chopping still echoing from the kitchen.
Sri Lanka
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