How Spicy Is Sri Lankan Food, Really?

The honest answer about Sri Lankan heat, what to order if you are cautious, and why the spice is not there to hurt you.

People ask this before they order and they are usually bracing for bad news. The honest answer: yes, traditionally it is spicier than most Indian restaurant food served in Canada. But that is a much smaller problem than you think.

Why it runs hotter

Sri Lankan cooking uses more chilli than most South Indian cooking, and it uses roasted curry powder, which tastes more intense even at the same heat level. There is also less dairy in the food. Indian cuisine leans on cream and yoghurt to soften heat. Sri Lankan cuisine uses coconut milk instead, which rounds heat rather than muting it.

The heat is not the point

This is the bit worth understanding. The chilli is not there to make you suffer, it is there for balance against the coconut, the sourness of tamarind and the depth of the roasted spice. Take the heat out entirely and the dish tastes flat, not milder.

What to order if you are cautious

Biryani. It is aromatic rather than hot, and it is the safest thing on any South Asian menu. After that, a coconut-heavy curry or a dhal, which is soft and comforting. Avoid devilled dishes on your first visit, they are the spiciest things on the menu and they are meant to be.

Just ask for mild

Any kitchen worth eating at will adjust the heat for you. This is normal and nobody is judging you. Say mild, and mean it, and you will get food you can actually enjoy.

The middle path

Order one mild dish and one at full heat and share. You get to taste what the food is actually supposed to be without committing your whole meal to it. This is what we would recommend to almost anyone trying Sri Lankan food for the first time.

Come try it

We are a family-run halal Sri Lankan and Indian kitchen in Scarborough and we will happily cook to your heat level. Read our guide to the best Sri Lankan dishes to try, or if you are feeding a mixed group, see how we handle catering, where we always include a mild option.

For heat, try our devil dishes. For something gentle, our chicken korma. You can order online for delivery or pickup.

A heat ladder from our own menu

General advice only goes so far, so here is our menu sorted roughly from gentle to fierce, based on how each dish is described and cooked.

Gentle

• Potato Milk Curry: potatoes in white coconut milk, mild and soft.
• Green Peas Curry: in coconut milk, described as mildly spicy.
• Roast Bread ($13) with egg-milk curry and coconut sambal.
• Vegetable Biryani and Chicken Korma.

Medium

• Biriyani ($12), aromatic more than hot.
• Kottu Roti ($13) and Sri Lankan Noodles ($15).
• Pineapple Curry and Eggplant Moju, where sweet and sour carry the chilli.

Hot

• Chilli Chicken ($14.99), spicy garlic sauce.
• Chicken Devil and Beef Devil ($12.99 each), Boneless Mutton Devil ($14.99).
• Maasi Sambol: chilli, onion and dried Maldives fish. A spoonful goes a long way.

What to keep on the table to cool things down

Water does little against chilli. Dairy and sugar do more. Mango Lassi ($6) is made with yogurt, the yogurt sambal in several biryani combos does the same job, and a bite of rice between mouthfuls helps more than people expect. Vattalappam ($15) at the end is the traditional finish.

Building a plate that balances itself

A good rule for a cautious eater: two spoons of rice for every spoon of curry, one gentle curry next to any hot one, and sambol only as a small taste on the edge of the plate. You get the full flavour without the fire taking over.

Feeding kids

Start children on biryani rice with the chicken pulled off the bone, potato milk curry, and roast bread. Keep the sambols and devils on the adult side of the table.

Heat questions people ask us

Is the sambol the spiciest thing on the plate?

Often, yes. Sambols are condiments, eaten in small amounts with rice, not by the spoonful.

Can I order a catering spread that suits mixed heat levels?

Yes. Pairing a combo with a Vegetable Biryani Combo ($15 per person) gives a gentler option on the same table. See is Sri Lankan food spicy, or call (647) 449-2924.