After something a little more exciting than plain green leaves to serve as a side salad?
“Gotu kola salad is a sort of Sri Lankan tabbouleh, but the coconut replaces the bulgur wheat, which makes it gluten-free,” explains Sri Lankan food expert, Emily Dobbs. “Gotu kola is a beautiful herb similar to pennywort. Highly nutritious and delicious, it is hard to find a substitute, but I have used a mix of parsley and mint which is just as good, if not better – vibrant, coconutty and fresh,” she adds.
And it couldn’t be simpler to make…
Sri Lankan gotu kola
Equipment
- 2 bowls
Ingredients
- 30 g flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 15 g mint finely chopped
- 50 g freshly grated coconut
- 1 lime juice
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 small red onion thinly sliced
- a handful of cherry tomatoes chopped
- 2 anchovies finely chopped
Optional
- 1 green chilli deseeded and thinly sliced
- 1 spring onion finely chopped
- 1 celery stick thinly sliced
- handful of pomegranate seeds
Method
- Put the parsley and mint in a bowl. In another bowl, add the coconut and season with the lime juice and some salt and black pepper. Stir well and add to the herbs along with the onion and tomatoes.
- Add the anchovies (these are a must if you aren’t vegetarian) and any of the optional ingredients you like. If you are serving with a spicy curry, avoid the green chilli and serve as a refreshing salad, seasoned well with lime juice and salt.
Nutrition
Weligama: Recipes From Sri Lanka by Emily Dobbs, photography by Issy Croker, is published by Seven Dials.
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