Sri Lankan food is difficult to describe with just one flavour.
It can be fiery and fresh, rich with coconut, deeply aromatic with spices, sharp with lime, or comforting and wonderfully simple. Often, several of those characteristics come together on the same plate.
For us at RS Foods, these aren’t simply dishes from a cuisine we enjoy. They are the flavours we grew up with.
More than just curry
Curry is certainly an important part of Sri Lankan cooking, but a Sri Lankan meal is rarely about one curry alone.
A plate of rice might be accompanied by a chicken or fish curry, vegetables prepared in different ways, a sambol for freshness and heat, and something crisp such as papadam.
The pleasure comes from combining them. A spoonful can be rich and spicy; the next can be fresh and tangy. Coconut can soften the heat while a sambol brings it straight back.
That contrast is part of what gives a Sri Lankan meal its character.
Coconut has a special place at our table
Coconut appears throughout Sri Lankan cooking in many different forms.
One of the clearest examples is Kiribath — කිරිබත්, or milk rice. Rice is cooked with coconut milk to create a rich, creamy dish traditionally associated with celebrations and important occasions.
Then there is Pol Sambol — පොල් සම්බෝල. Made around freshly grated coconut and traditionally combined with ingredients that bring chilli, acidity and seasoning, Pol Sambol can accompany rice, hoppers, string hoppers and curries. It is simple food, but unmistakably Sri Lankan.
The spices matter — but so does balance
Sri Lankan cooking is known for spice, but that shouldn’t be confused with simply making food as hot as possible.
Spices contribute aroma, warmth, colour and depth. Chilli provides heat, while ingredients such as coconut and lime can completely change the character of a mouthful.
That balance is one of the things we want people experiencing Sri Lankan food for the first time to discover.
And then there is Kottu
Some Sri Lankan foods are difficult to separate from the experience of eating them.
Kottu Roti — කොත්තු is one of them. Chopped flatbread is mixed and cooked together with vegetables, spices and ingredients such as chicken. The result is hearty, intensely savoury comfort food and one of the dishes most strongly associated with Sri Lankan street food.
Food for everyday life and special occasions
Fish cutlets — මාලු කට්ලට් are crumb-coated, fried snacks traditionally made with fish, potato, onion and spices. Kiribath has a particularly strong connection with auspicious and celebratory moments.
And when something sweet is called for, there is Watalappam — වටලප්පන්, a rich coconut custard dessert traditionally flavoured with jaggery and warming spices.
The flavours we missed from home
This is also where the story becomes personal for RS Foods.
When we arrived in Malaysia in 2013, authentic Sri Lankan food wasn’t always easy for us to find. So we began cooking the food we missed ourselves, drawing on the recipes, techniques and kitchen knowledge passed down to us by our mothers.
We shared those meals with Malaysian friends. They enjoyed them, and eventually that simple act of sharing food from home became RS Foods.
That’s still what we want RS Foods to be about today: not simply selling a meal, but giving someone in Malaysia an opportunity to discover a little of Sri Lanka through its food.
ආයුබෝවන් — Ayubowan!
Welcome to our table.