dolphin kottu roti

A chicken kottu roti recipe for those of you who need that extra kick of spice.

And before we move on to this Sri Lankan recipe, I would like to mention that no dolphins were used, harmed to make the kottu recipe.

Don’t ask me why anyone would name this popular street food as”dolphin”.

I’m baffled as you. 

If the name of this kottu recipe is to give you an idea of how extremely spicy this Sri Lankan dish is, well they’ve failed miserably.

Because this is one extremely spicy dish.

So heads up.

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BEGINNER’S TIPS ON MAKING DOLPHIN KOTTU.

• Read the recipe and have all the ingredients ready.

• You will need an hour and a half, to make the dolphin kottu.

• You can reduce the cooking time…
  • By cooking extra chicken curry for your lunch to use later for this recipe or you can make the chicken curry ahead of time. 
  • You can also use store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of shallow frying them as the below recipe suggests and continue following the steps to make the chicken curry. 
• Cut and refrigerate the capsicums, onions, tomatoes etc including the paratha roti which you can make, cut and refrigerate until used.

This leaves you to just assemble the kottu recipe 30-40 minutes before serving time.

The chicken curry for the dolphin kottu

You can use boneless chicken or chicken breast.

If you are using chicken breasts, make sure to cut them into smaller cubes.

• When you cut the chicken breast into smaller pieces, take out any jutting bones that you see.

• Make sure there is plenty of gravy to mix as well and to use at dinner time. but also keep in mind, plenty of gravy does not mean a thin gravy.

So make sure it is thick and tasty too.

The parotta roti to make the kottu.

• You can make your own paratha using the paratha(godamba roti) recipe.

• For this recipe, I have used store-bought frozen paratha to show you that it is possible and to reduce the cooking time.

• Check out the Sri Lankan, Indian stores, or the frozen section if you are living overseas

• You can also try Indian, Sri Lankan restaurants for these parathas.
• The frozen packs have 6-10. to make the paratha quickly, I use a Tawa(a large flat surface frying pan that is used to make dosa)and make three in one go. 

• Use a large wok and two wooden spoons to combine and make the chicken kottu roti.

More kottu roti recipes!

Sri Lankan chicken kottu.

Sri Lankan beef kottu.

Freezing- even though possible, I would suggest making and eating the dolphin kottu on the same day as the taste and texture of the dish can change. 

Heating- If leftovers were refrigerated, leave them to reach room temperature and heat over a stovetop or microwave.

Since the kottu would have a dry texture to it, mix in a few leftover chicken curry gravy to bring it to the right consistency.

Stop food waste by- leftover can be refrigerated or you can spread a little love in your neighborhood, friends, or someone who might enjoy Sri Lankan food.

RECIPE DIFFICULTY-LITTLE CARE IS NEEDED

• The following recipe is given the above rating because,
• There are a few elements in the kottu recipe that needs to be prepared early.
• More time goes into preparing each of these elements, like making the chicken curry, the paratha and then assembling all of them in a wok. 

Workflow to make the dolphin kottu.

• Have all the ingredients ready
• Marinate the chicken and then make a basic curry.
• Cook the paratha and cut them into strips.
• Make the dolphin kottu mixture combine ingredients as per the recipe instructions.

WARNING!

As you will notice on the ingredient list, there is a spicy element(green chilies, red chilies flakes, pepper, capsicum) at every stage of making the dolphin kottu.

All these add up to make the dish extremely spicy.

So please increase or decrease as per your need, especially if you are serving the dish to anyone who is sensitive to spicy food.

I would also caution you on serving this kottu recipe for kids who are under the age of 10. 

Unless of course they are used to spicy food.

How to make Sri Lankan Dolphin kottu

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

Ingredients.

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

To marinate the chicken

5oog of chicken pieces(you can either cut a breast or use boneless)

1 tablespoon red chilies powder(increase or reduce as per your need)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon black pepper powder(you can increase up to another 1/2 teaspoon)

Salt to season

To cook the chicken curry

3-4 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 tablespoon of red chilies powder

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of thick coconut milk

10 frozen parotta roti(refer notes about options and recommendations)

To make the dolphin kottu mixture

1 tablespoon of minced ginger and garlic

A sprig of curry leaves

1 large onion sliced fine

4 green capsicum cut fine

2 green chillies sliced fine

1 large tomato chopped

2 tablespoon of tomato sauce(also referred to as ketchup)

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 tablespoon red chilies flakes

3 eggs

Method

Skip this part of making a chicken curry if you already have leftover chicken curry from your previous meal.

IF you are making the chicken curry, you will concentrate on keeping this chicken curry really basic cutting down on ingredients.

What is necessary here, is to have the chicken crispy and browned with lots of gravy.

How to make the chicken curry for dolphin kottu.

Cut the chicken breast or boneless chicken(500g) to the required size.

Place them in a bowl and season with red chilies powder(1 tbs, increase as per need), turmeric powder(1/2 tsp), and black pepper(1 tsp, increase to 1/2 tsp if needed).

Season with salt, combine, and set aside for 30 minutes.

Once the chicken pieces are marinated for 30 minutes, shallow fry them with a little oil.

If you are health conscious you can also bake them until they are crispy.

As mentioned in the beginner’s tips, you can also skip this part by using rotisserie chicken to make the curry.

When they are crispy and brown, transfer to a cooking pan.

Pour in the water(1 cup) and coconut milk(1/2 cup of thick coconut milk).

Add curry powder(1 tbs), red chilies powder(1 tbs). 

If you are worried about the chicken curry missing the usual elements right now.

Don’t.

We just need a basic curry sauce that will help the whole kottu recipe come together at the end.

Slow simmer for 15-20 minutes until gravy thickens and changes color.

Taste and season with salt as per your need.

Preparing the parotta for the dolphin kottu.

I am using frozen parotta roti(pack of 10)that you will find at any large supermarket.

Remove the frozen parathas from the refrigerator, let them defrost for 10 minutes, and make as per package instructions.

Place a Tawa over a slow medium-fire, drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of oil.

Heat both sides of the paratha while pressing down with your spoon to cook through and give it a slightly crispy texture. 3-4 minutes on both sides alternately.

leave it to cool for a few minutes.

When cool stack them, roll, and cut them into thin strips as shown below.

Tip- you can use kitchen scissors to do this as well.

Transfer the paratha strips onto a tray.

Making the dolphin kottu base.

Place a large wok over low medium heat. pour in the oil(4 tbs) followed by curry leaves(5-6), ginger-garlic paste(1 tbs).

Cook for 2-3 minutes until soft.

Add the onion(1 large), capsicum(4), green chillies(2), tomatoes(1 large), into the wok.

Cook until soft for 5 minutes over low-medium heat.

Crack eggs(2)in a separate bowl to check freshness and then add them to the wok

Scramble the eggs with onions and capsicum in the wok over medium heat.

3-5 minutes.

Pour in the tomato sauce(also referred to as ketchup, 2 tbs), soy sauce(1 tbs), and red chili flakes(1 tbs).

If you want the dolphin kottu extra spicy than it is, add more than the red chili flakes amount recommended here.

(also refer to the warning mentioned above if you skipped that part).

Continue to combine the ingredients in the pan over medium heat. 

Once the mixture is done, check on the seasoning and make the necessary adjustments.

Making these adjustments will be difficult once you add the paratha strips which is going to be the next step.

Now add the paratha strips into the dolphin kottu mixture.

Use two wooden spoons to combine well. spend at least 3-5 minutes getting all the kottu mixture coating the paratha.

Once this is done, add the chicken curry.

keep a small of the curry to add later as you eat since the dolphin kottu turns slightly dry.

Again, make sure to spend 3-5 minutes time really mixing the curry into the paratha strips.

If you find some of the strips are long and making it difficult to combine, simply tear them into smaller pieces as you mix.

Next, break an egg(1) in a separate bowl to check freshness and then add it to the dolphin kottu.

Mix well for 3-5 minutes.

Serve the dolphin kottu warm.

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