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Home » Recipes » main course

Sri Lankan Vegetable Curry

October 20, 2020 Updated April 27, 2022 by Lisa Goldfinger 15 Comments This post may contain affiliate links

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Vibrant sri lankan vegetable curry of sweet potatoes, cauliflower and green beans, in a black bowl.

This vibrant Vegetable Curry Recipe from the tropical island country of Sri Lanka enchants with layers of exciting flavor and a good amount of heat. Cauliflower, sweet potatoes and green beans are simmered in fragrant spicy coconut curry sauce and topped with toasted cashews and cilantro. Serve this with simple steamed white rice for a delicious, satisfying vegan meal.

black bowl filled with colorful vegetable curry of cauliflower, sweet potatoes and green beans

SRI LANKAN CURRY

Curry and rice is the staple food of Sri Lanka. Though similar to the curries of neighboring India, Sri Lankan curries have a couple of stand-out qualities. Firstly, they tend to be startlingly hot. Disclaimer: I've toned down this vegetable curry recipe to my preferred level of heat, which is about medium - maybe not authentic - however I can't taste food when my mouth is on fire. Feel free to double or even triple up on the hot chilies if you want more burn.

Another unique feature of Sri Lankan curries is how the layers of flavor are added at different stages of the cooking process.

  • The first round of herbs, spices and aromatics forms the flavor base of the curry.
  • Another aromatic mix is fried up at the last minute and stirred through the finished dish to give it a fresh, exciting burst of flavor. It's called tempering.
  • The final layer of flavor is a generous garnish of chopped cilantro and toasted cashew nuts.

Sri Lanka sounds like an absolute dream destination - a small tropical Island country in the Indian Ocean, just south of India. It's tiny, just larger than the state of West Virginia, but has lots going on: lush forests, national wildlife parks with elephants and leopards, ancient temples, beautiful unspoiled beaches, tea plantations (Ceylon), and fiery, flavorful curries that make use of delicious local spices, coconuts, and green chilies. 

Sri Lankan Vegetable Curried vegetables, sweet potatoes, green beans and cauliflower, in a black bowl with cilantro and toasted cashews

How to make this Sri Lankan Vegetable Curry

There's a fair bit of chopping and mincing required but once everything is sliced and diced, this curry comes together fast.

The aromatic vegetables - onions, garlic and ginger - are sautéed first, along with sliced jalapeño, herbs and spices. This creates the flavor base of the curry. Next, the sweet potatoes, cauliflower and green beans are added to the pot, along with coconut milk and water. The curry is simmered for ten minutes, until the veggies are just tender. Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, a fresh sauté of aromatic vegetables, herbs and spices is prepared and stirred into the curry at the last minute, for a final layer of fresh exciting flavor.

a wooden cutting board topped with spices and aromatics for vegetable curry, then a pot filled with spices, jalapenos and coconut milk

chopped onions, minced garlic, sliced jalapenos and black mustard seeds sautéeing in a black frying pan

What to serve with this vegetable curry

Divide the curry among bowls and garnish each bowl generously with cilantro leaves and toasted cashews. A side of steamed white rice, naan or Sri Lankan roti make perfect accompaniments - great for sopping up the delicious curry sauce.

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Black bowl surrounded with herbs and peppers and filled with green beans and chunks of cauliflower, sweet potato in yellow curry sauce

Here's the Sri Lankan Vegetable Curry Recipe. If you make this, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think.

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Sri Lankan Vegetable Curry with cilantro and toasted cashews

Sri Lankan Vegetable Curry


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Author: Lisa
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 4-5 1x
Print Recipe

Description

A beautifully spiced vegetarian curry of cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and green beans, topped with toasted cashews and cilantro.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 tablespoons cooking oil or ghee, divided
  • 2 yellow onions, one roughly chopped (for the topping),one halved and thinly sliced (for the curry)
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 large cloves), divided
  • 4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root (from a 2-inch piece), divided
  • 3 jalapeño peppers, one sliced thinly crosswise (for the topping), the other two cut in half lengthwise (for the curry)
  • 1 3-inch cinnamon stick, broken in half
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 2 sprigs of fresh curry leaves or about 16 leaves.(see notes below for substitutions)
  • 2 tablespoons good Indian curry powder, such as Madras
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more, to taste
  • 1 ½ pounds yams or orange flesh sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1 13-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk, shaken well before opening, divided
  • 6 cups of cauliflower florets (about ¾ of a large cauliflower or a whole small cauliflower)
  • ¾ pound green beans, stem end trimmed off
  • Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons brown or black mustard seeds

Garnishes

  • 1 cup toasted cashews
  • ½ cup cilantro leaves

Suggested Accompaniments

  • white rice or naan or roti

Instructions

  1. To make the topping, in a small bowl combine the thinly sliced jalapeño pepper with the chopped onions, 1 tablespoon of the minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of the minced ginger. Set aside.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil or ghee in a large heavy pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced onion, garlic, ginger and the 2 halved jalapeños, along with the cinnamon stick, cloves and one sprig of curry leaves (about 7 leaves). Sauté, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes, until the onion starts to soften. Add curry powder (2 tablespoons), turmeric (½ teaspoon) and salt (1 teaspoon). Cook, stirring, for a minute, until fragrant.
  3. Add the sweet potatoes, water (1 ½ cups) and ½ cup of the coconut milk. When the pot comes to a simmer, add the cauliflower and green beans. Turn the heat up and when the pot begins to bubble turn the down to a simmer, cover the curry, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender.
  4. Remove from heat, stir in the remaining coconut milk, season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the cinnamon sticks and any curry leaves that haven't dissolved into the sauce.
  5. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil or ghee in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the topping ingredients that you set aside (chopped onion, thinly sliced jalapeño, garlic and ginger) along with mustard seeds (2 teaspoons), and 1 sprig of curry leaves (7-8 leaves). Sauté, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or so, until the onion is soft and starting to brown.
  • Stir the topping mixture into the finished curry. Divide the curry among bowls and garnish with cilantro leaves and toasted cashews. Serve the curry with a side of white or brown rice or naan or roti.

Notes

If you can't find Curry Leaves: You can substitute bay or lime zest. Use the zest of one lime per 8 curry leaves.

  • Prep Time: 25 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Category: Lunch or Dinner
  • Method: Sauté
  • Cuisine: Sri Lankan

Keywords: spicy vegan vegetable curry

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turns out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram with the hashtag #panningtheglobe

This recipe first appeared on Panning The Globe on August 23, 2015. The post was updated on October 20, 2020 with new pertinent information in the written post, substitutions for curry leaves, and added nutritional information. Same delicious recipe!

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Asia, Lunch and Brunch, main course, Stew, vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: curry, dairy-free, gluten-free

Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Paul

    October 13, 2020 at 8:58 am

    Just tried this the other night! So healthy and comforting.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa

      October 13, 2020 at 11:35 am

      I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed!!

      Reply
      • Sandra

        January 05, 2021 at 5:50 pm

        I am not sure you can call this a Sri Lankan dish if you are using Indian curry powder.

      • Lisa

        January 06, 2021 at 8:11 am

        Hi Sandra. Thank you so much for pointing this out. I'm going to update the post to include Sri Lankan curry powder.

  2. The Steaming Pot

    December 24, 2015 at 12:52 am

    Landed here looking for sweet potato recipes - this is just what I wanted! I have some Sri Lankan curry powder on hand, can put it to good use in this recipe. Gorgeous curry. Thank you.

    Reply
  3. Laura @MotherWouldKnow

    August 29, 2015 at 1:05 pm

    I love curry and don't know enough about the national and regional variations. Thanks for making Sir Lankan curry less of a mystery to me.

    Reply
  4. Rachel @ The Stay At Home Chef

    August 27, 2015 at 9:47 pm

    Sri Lanka is on my bucket list of places to visit. I love their food!

    Reply
  5. Sue Lau

    August 24, 2015 at 5:51 pm

    I love those curry leaves and the little fiery chile. I can almost smell it! Mouthwatering!

    Reply
  6. David @ CookingChat

    August 24, 2015 at 4:39 pm

    What great colors in this dish! I don't know that I've tried Sri Lankan food, will have to do so.

    Reply
  7. Renee

    August 23, 2015 at 6:54 pm

    What a magnificent dish. I love curries. All kinds. Hot or mild. Yours looks incredible.

    Reply
    • Lisa

      August 24, 2015 at 9:05 am

      Thanks so much Renee!

      Reply
  8. Liz

    August 23, 2015 at 4:26 pm

    What a gorgeous curry! I'd prefer to to have my mouth on fire, too---so your recipe sounds perfect 🙂

    Reply
  9. Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook

    August 23, 2015 at 3:59 pm

    Sounds like a great curry.

    Reply
  10. Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere

    August 23, 2015 at 1:51 pm

    What a beautiful curry! This would be a bit hit in our house!

    Reply
  11. Constance | CosmopolitanCornbread.com

    August 23, 2015 at 12:06 pm

    YES! I love a good curry!!!

    Reply

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