Kiri Hodi

Kiri Hodi (Sri Lankan Coconut Milk Curry)

A gentle, pale Sri Lankan curry of thin coconut milk simmered with onion, green chilli, turmeric and curry leaves, finished with lime. It is meant to be mild and creamy, cooling the plate alongside hotter curries.

Prep

10 min

Cook

20 min

Total

30 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •500 ml (2 cups) thin coconut milk, from about 1 medium coconut, or use good-quality tinned coconut milk thinned with 100 ml water
• •1 medium onion, sliced thinly
• •2 whole green chillies, slit lengthwise, seeds left in for mild heat
• •1 tsp turmeric powder
• •10 whole curry leaves, fresh if possible; dried works but use a few more
• •1/2 tsp (½ tsp) salt, or to taste
• •1 tbsp lime juice, about half a lime, added off the heat
• •1 tsp coconut oil, optional, for the initial temper

Steps

1. 1 Pour the thin coconut milk into a medium heavy-based saucepan and set over medium heat. Bring it to a bare simmer, stirring now and then, and let it bubble gently for 5 minutes so the raw coconut flavour cooks out.
2. 2 Add the sliced onion, slit green chillies, turmeric, curry leaves and salt. Stir to combine.
3. 3 Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 10–12 minutes, until the onion is completely soft and translucent and the milk has taken on a pale yellow colour. Do not let it boil hard or the coconut milk may split.
4. 4 Taste and adjust the salt. The curry should be mild, creamy and lightly seasoned.
5. 5 Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Adding lime off the heat keeps the curry from curdling and preserves its fresh flavour.
6. 6 Serve warm as a mild accompaniment alongside hotter Sri Lankan curries and rice.