Plant-Based Travel
Sri Lankan vegan dishes to try
Parippu (red lentil curry)
Parippu is red lentils simmered with coconut milk, turmeric and spices, and it appears at almost every rice and curry meal. It is usually plant-based, but some cooks add Maldive fish or finish it with ghee, so ask.
Polos (young jackfruit curry)
Polos is young green jackfruit cooked slowly in spices and coconut until it is tender and almost meaty. It is often drier than other curries. Mature jackfruit is also cooked in coconut milk (kos or kiri kos), which is softer and sweeter.
Gotu kola mallung
Mallung is a quick dish of finely shredded greens with grated coconut, onion, green chilli and lime. Made with gotu kola (pennywort), it is fresh and slightly bitter; some cooks serve it raw like a salad, others warm it briefly in the pan.
Wambatu moju (eggplant pickle)
Wambatu moju is a sweet, sour and spicy pickle of eggplant, often fried first, with shallots, chilli, mustard and vinegar. A small spoonful lifts a plate of rice and curry, and it is normally plant-based.
Hoppers, string hoppers and pol sambol
Plain hoppers are bowl-shaped pancakes of fermented rice flour and coconut milk; string hoppers are steamed nests of rice-flour noodles. Both are vegan by default, unlike egg hoppers. They are usually eaten with curry and pol sambol, the coconut relish, which often contains Maldive fish, so ask for it without.
Plant-based meals at Moss Forest Vegan
Meals at Moss Forest Vegan are fully plant-based. Dishes vary, so share any allergies or dietary needs in your stay request and the team will discuss meal arrangements with you before confirmation.
In photographs
