The Sri Lankan street food made from chopped flatbread with vegetables and meat is called kottu roti. It is prepared by chopping roti on a hot griddle and mixing it with vegetables, spices, egg, and often meat or seafood.
The word kottu comes from a Tamil term meaning “to chop,” describing the rhythmic cleaver work used during cooking. The metallic pounding of the blades against the griddle is one of the dish’s most recognizable sounds in Sri Lankan towns and cities.
Kottu commonly uses godamba roti, a stretchy wheat flatbread. Cooks may add onions, chillies, scrambled egg, chicken, beef, mutton, or fish. Vegetable and cheese versions are also popular. The dish is fast, filling, and closely associated with Sri Lankan casual dining and street-food culture.
Kothu roti is an accepted alternate spelling. It should not be confused with hoppers, string hoppers, or thosai, which are different Sri Lankan and South Indian foods.