Kaliya curry, a vegetarian curry made with ash plantain, potatoes, brinjals and chicken liver is a traditional Sri Lankan Muslim curry served on special and festive occasions.

The Sri Lankan vegetarian curry involves a lot of preparation before cooking as each ingredient needs to be attended individually.

Kaliya curry is one of the few cold curry dishes that need not be heated to be enjoyed.

kaliya curry, an authentic Sri Lankan curry

An authentic Sri Lankan curry originating from the Muslim community.

If you are not familiar with the curry, you might find the combo of vegetables used here unusual.

It becomes more unique and odd when you have the option of adding liver.

Once you’ve tasted the kaliya, you’ll know why they work well together.

The kaliya is full of flavour, and texture and tastes so good that you can replace a meat dish with this thick curry.

Serve with a plate of steaming rice, dhal, poppadams and a simple salad is all you need to enjoy this kaliya curry.

Sri Lankan meal menus to serve with kaliya.

•  Menu 1
  • HOW TO COOK RICE ON THE STOVE
  • Dhal curry
  • SRI LANKAN AUTHENTIC CHICKEN CURRY
  • MANGO CURRY(my grandmother’s recipe)
  • SRI LANKAN DEVILLED POTATO CURRY(ala theldala)
  • Kaliya curry

• Menu 2
  • SRI LANKAN YELLOW RICE(TURMERIC RICE)
  • Pumpkin curry(Sri Lankan wattakka curry).
  • SLOW COOKED BEEF CURRY(like my grandmother makes).
  • PINEAPPLE CHUTNEY(Sri Lankan).
  • Sri Lankan cabbage mallung(cabbage coconut sambol.
  • Kaliya curry

•  Menu 3
  • BASMATI COCONUT RICE(Indian rice recipe)e
  • Potato curry
  • Eggplant moju
  • mutton curry
  • spinach mallung
  • kaliya curry

save the recipe to pinterest

Tips to make Sri Lankan kaliya curry.

• As making the kaliya is time-consuming, I would suggest making the curry early as it is a cold curry.
• You have the option of not heating it at the time of serving the dish or warming it up for a few seconds.
• I started making the kaliya somewhere around 10 am, giving me time to make the recipe in stages. first preparing the vegetables, frying them, making the thick gravy and then assembling the components.
• The below recipe will give you kaliya to feed at least 6 to 8 adults.
• Should you wish to cook the curry for a small family of 3 to 5, reduce the brinjal to 300g, ash plantain to 250g and potatoes to 200g.
  Keep in mind the ratio is 3:2:1 of vegetables if you are making for a large crowd.
• Deep frying the vegetables– fry the eggplants, ash plantain and potatoes to a golden brown maintaining a steady oil temperature.

When combining the fried eggplant, ash plantain and potatoes with the thick coconut gravy, do it in a way that doesn’t smash the brinjals.

Utensils and appliances needed

2 large bowls

Thick kitchen paper towels.

Slotted spoons.

Large platter to place the fried vegetables.

Large cooking pan.

More authentic traditional Sri Lankan recipes

AMBULTHIYAL(Sri Lankan sour fish curry).

POLOS CURRY(baby jackfruit curry)

Eggplant sweet and sour curry(Sri Lankan brinjal pahi).

SRI LANKAN WAMBATU MOJU(eggplant/brinjal pickle).

SRI LANKAN MALAY PICKLE(achcharu).

How to make Sri Lankan kiribath(milk rice).

Freezing

Avoid freezing, the curry can be refrigerated for up to 3 to 5 days.

Storing

Once cooled, store in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Heating

Remove the refrigerator and let the curry reach room temperature, warm the curry with a few tablespoons of oil as the dish tends to become quite dry.

Stop food waste by

Make only as much as you need, any leftovers can be added to your egg omelette.

 

recipe difficulty- more care is needed

Ingredients to make the kaliya curry

The ingredients mentioned below are used in standard measuring cups and spoons.

Frying ingredients

2 to 3 cups of oil(coconut or vegetable oil)

1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric powder

500g of medium-sized brinjals

300g of medium-sized ash plantain

150g of medium-sized potatoes

200g of chicken or ox liver(optional, this kaliya recipe is made without these ingredients)

Ingredients for assembling the kaliya curry

1 cup of thin milk(to make,

1 large onion sliced fine

5 pods of garlic minced

1 tablespoon of ginger minced

A sprig of curry leaves

2-3 inch piece of pandan leaf

1 tablespoon of curry powder

1 teaspoon of red chilli powder(add more to increase the heat)

1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric powder

2 cups of thick coconut milk

2 tablespoons of tamarind juice

2 tablespoons of sugar

Salt to season

Ingredients to make the spice powder

3 cardamom

3 cloves

1″ cinnamon piece

How to cook kaliya curry

Please make sure to read the recipe instructions carefully to avoid mistakes.

I would recommend that you read the tips given above before you continue with the recipe.

I have given the quantity for a smaller portion of this kaliya curry and the ratio to use if you are cooking for a larger crowd as well.

Prep work for cooking kaliya curry.

Gather all the ingredients and utensils you need to make the kaliya curry.

Have two medium-sized bowls filled with water and 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric and salt mixed in each bowl.

Brinjals and ash plantain tend to discolour as soon as they are exposed to air, you can avoid this by immediately submerging them in the turmeric and salt water.

Have a platter ready with paper towels for the deep-fried vegetables.

 How to cut the Brinjals for the kaliya curry

Wash the brinjals(eggplant)and then cut off the stem.

Once washed, place them on a wooden board and cut them into thick 1″inch circles and then into half(whichever way you cut the brinjals, the idea is to have them quite thick and chunky when deep-fried_

As you cut the brinjals, check for spoilage. Brinjals that look good on the outside can sometimes be spoiled on the inside with dark spots on the flesh.
Separate them as you cut the vegetables and discard them.

Immediately, transfer the sliced brinjals(eggplant)to the bowl of salted turmeric water.

How to clean and cut the ash plantains.

Wash the green plantain and cut the top and bottom stems.

Peel the green thick skin with a knife exposing the white flesh of the ash plantain.

 

Follow the same method as mentioned above for cutting the brinjals(they need to be thick and chunky cubes)and immediately submerge them into the turmeric-salt water solution.

How to cut the potatoes for the kaliya curry

Wash and remove the skin of the potatoes, rinse them and cut them into slightly medium-sized cubes(maybe 1/2 an inch on all sides).

As mentioned, I have not added ox/chicken liver to this kaliya recipe and kept it as a vegetarian curry. But if you want to add the liver, boil 100g to 200g of the liver in water seasoned with salt and 1/2 a teaspoon of cumin powder. cool and cut them to the required size. add it to the thick gravy to cook with the fried vegetables until it combines with the curry.

How to fry vegetables for kaliya.

 

After all of the vegetables are cut. drain the water from the brinjals and ash plantain before you begin deep frying them as water in heated oil will cause splatter.

Pour in the oil to your frying pan, over low-medium heat. let the oil reach the correct frying temperature, you can check this by adding a piece of brinjal after a few minutes of the oil heating.

When the brinjal piece floats while frying, squeeze out the excess water from the eggplants, place them on a slotted spoon and slide them into the heated oil.

Fry the eggplants in batches until they are golden brown. move them around so that all sides are evenly brown.

Once the brinjals are fried, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the oil, while letting them drain as much as possible before adding them to a colander or platter covered in kitchen paper towels to absorb any excess oil.

 Once you’ve fried the brinjals(eggplants), fry the potatoes the same way followed by ash plantains and transfer them onto the kitchen paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Set them aside to cool

How to make the kaliya gravy

Make the small amount of spice powder needed by pounding or grinding the cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon into a rough coarse powder.

Set aside.

Add the thin coconut milk to your cooking pot. add the onions(1 finely sliced), garlic(5 pods chopped), ginger(1 tbsp), curry leaves, pandan leaf, curry powder(1 tbsp), chilli powder(1 tsp), turmeric powder(1/2 a tsp)and let it simmer until it boils over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

Reduce the flame to low, add the fried vegetables and give it a gentle mix.

Make sure they are covered with the gravy in order to absorb the flavours. season with salt if needed.

Cover and slow simmer for 10 minutes or until thin gravy is absorbed by the fried vegetables.

Do not stir but shake the pan to distribute ingredients.

Remove the lid and add thick coconut milk(2 cups)while it simmers. Add the spice powder(ground cardamom, cinnamon, cloves), tamarind juice(2 tsp), and sugar(1 tbsp).

Reduce heat to a low and slow simmer until the gravy thickens and changes colour. check for salt and adjust accordingly.

 

let the gravy thicken, and use your wide-slotted spoon to combine the ingredients to incorporate them with the gravy.

Please be gentle with the mixing because after all the fried ingredients absorb the gravy, it will tend to mash up even further and your curry will end up as a pulp.

Once the gravy is absorbed and looks almost dry remove it from the stove, and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before before serving.

 

JOIN ME ON ISLANDSMILE YOUTUBE CHANNEL

VISIT THE SEAFOOD BLOG

Each recipe on this blog has been written with great care and love to the best of my ability with you in mind.
It’s free and on the blog, for you to try anytime.

All I ask is that you do not save it on any apps, recipe boxes or online groups which will affect me as a food blogger and the growth of this blog. 

I would appreciate it if you only share the link rather than the full recipe. 

All images and text on this website are protected by copyright.