Whilst living on this beautiful island, have you ever come across a bad rice and curry? Or have you ever heard of such a thing? I hardly think so. Having a population that eats rice and curry for all three main meals, it's highly impossible to encounter a bad rice and curry dish. Even if there are places like that, they've got at least one or two good curries that stand out from the lot.
Anyway, our experience at Pela rice and curry spot wasn't any different either. Located in Delkanda, it's yet another humble member of the massive buth kadey scene in Nugegoda.
Rice & Curry
Pela offers a spread of 12 – 15 curries, and you can choose five of them, inclusive of a protein (chicken/fish/egg) of your choice. The rice here is mainly three types – red, white and fried rice. Everything except for the fried rice is presented in massive clay pots.
Pela has been hailed for their Chicken Liver Curry, and a bite from it made us realize why. Boasting a rich curry flavor blended with some good old goraka and pepper, this one is a must try. The liver pieces were a little tough, but deliciously chewy, and it was the undeniable star of our meal.
Our Chicken Liver Rice & Curry (Rs. 200) plate here also had kawupi (black-eyed beans), manioc, batu moju, and kohila curries, along with a few deep-fried chilies, and papadam. All the curries were decently prepared with enough spiciness to go on, and the manioc curry was especially good. It was milky and had a quite a bit of karapincha (curry leaves) to enhance its earthy flavor. The batu moju was a tad oily for our liking and did not have the sweet kick that one would expect.
It was only 1.30 pm on a Monday, and they've already run out of Fish curry, so we opted for their Chicken Rice & Curry (Rs. 180). This one was served with the same batu moju, manioc curries, as well as long bean curry and green chili coconut sambol.
This time around, the winner was the green chili pol sambol. White rice – pol sambol combo is always a go in Sri Lankan culinary fare and this one wasn't any different. I would've eaten this buth plate simply with this massive helping of a pol sambol that was popping out with green chili aroma. Boosted by a limey kick, it was, in fact, spicy, and really worked well with the other curries.
Service & Ambience
The service here isn't all friendly or smiles, but they're pretty damn quick. You will not have to stand in the line for more than 5 minutes to get your rice and curry.
Living up to its name, the interior here looks like a pela (rough-hewn hut). The roof that shades the tiny veranda out front is decorated with dried pol athu (coconut leaves), while the inside has katu matu walls. They've got around four big wooden tables and benches for you to sit down and enjoy your meals.
Conclusion
Pela in Delkanda is yet another option for you to get your rice and curry fix if you're around Nugegoda. Be sure to try their chicken liver curry – it's a good one.
