My Last-Minute Attempt at Sri Lankan Chicken Curry

Sometimes, the best evenings are the ones you don’t plan. Tonight was exactly that.

Out of nowhere, I got this random urge to cook. Not just throw something together—actually cook something proper. For some reason, Sri Lankan chicken curry came to mind. Don’t ask me why. I didn’t have a full shopping list, no big prep, no perfect kitchen setup. Just a craving and a bit of inspiration from a post-it note that’s been stuck to my fridge for over a week.

So I did what any modern-day home cook would do: ordered chicken breast (and only chicken breast) and one lonely onion from the local grocery store. That’s it. The rest? Pure cupboard luck, courtesy of my wife and her well-stocked spice stash. Honestly, without that, this whole idea would’ve crashed before takeoff.

Now here’s where it gets interesting. I didn’t really have a proper recipe. But last week, a good friend of mine visited and made this killer chicken curry at our place. Before he left, he scribbled down a quick shopping list on a post-it note—the kind of thing you’d usually throw away. For some reason, I didn’t. That note became my blueprint.

I paired that little yellow square with a YouTube video I found—just one video, from a Sri Lankan lady who made it all look so easy (spoiler: it wasn’t that easy). I basically mashed together her method and my friend’s note. Improvised, tweaked, guessed, tasted, and probably made about a dozen minor mistakes—but I was committed.

The end result? A solid first attempt. Rich, fiery, fragrant chicken curry. Too fiery, actually. I got a bit too enthusiastic with the chili powder, thinking more spice would get me that deep reddish-brown color you see in authentic Sri Lankan curries. It didn’t. Instead, I got something close to a spice bomb—but hey, it still tasted great. You could say it was boldly flavored if you want to be polite.

I didn’t go all the way and make string hoppers from scratch (let’s not get carried away), so I ordered those from a local Sri Lankan restaurant. Totally worth it—they were soft, delicate, and perfect for soaking up that spicy curry sauce.

Now I’ve got leftovers sitting in the fridge, and I’m already looking forward to round two tomorrow. Maybe even round three. Curries always taste better the next day anyway, right?

What started as a random evening craving turned into a little culinary adventure. Messy, spicy, a bit chaotic—but real. I’m calling it a win. And next time? I’ll go lighter on the chili and maybe try the full dish from scratch, string hoppers and all.