Ambul Thiyal – Sri Lankan Sour Fish Curry Recipe

The fog had thinned, but the feeling had not.

Someone was still out there.

I had not spoken of it. Neither had the guesthouse owner. But he had locked the door that night, something he had not done before. And when morning came, he did not ask if I had slept well—because we both knew I hadn’t.

Instead, he asked, “You eat fish?”

And that was that.

He worked in silence. A block of tuna, deep red, cut into cubes with a blade that looked like it had gutted more than fish in its time. A handful of curry leaves, blackened in a dry clay pot, the scent rising like a spell. Then the tamarind—thick, almost black, so sour it curled in the air like something alive. No coconut this time. No soft sweetness. Just fire, acid, and something ancient.

“This is how you keep fish,” he said, stirring as the cubes of tuna darkened, drinking in the spice. “No fridge. No ice. Just time and taste.”

I watched the pot. But I was listening for something else.

Outside, the jungle was still.

Too still.

“Eat,” he said, pushing the plate toward me.

The first bite—earthy, smoky, sharp enough to cut through whatever sleep still clung to me. The tamarind hit first, a citrusy slap, followed by the slow roll of black pepper and goraka, something deeper, something old.

It was not a dish that asked for attention. It demanded it.

I chewed slowly. Listened.

Then—

A sound.

Not from the jungle this time. From the house. A slow creak of wood, deliberate. A door opening where no door should be.

The guesthouse owner did not move. He only reached, casually, for the same knife he had set beside him the night before.

“Finish your food,” he murmured, eyes fixed beyond me. “It would be a shame to let it go cold.”

I swallowed.

Because some things were inevitable.

And this meal, I suspected, would not be my last.

Continue…

How To Make A Sri Lankan Ambul Thiyal

Don’t let the idea of the word ‘sour’ in the title turn you off. It is more like tart, rather than the sour you would expect of spoilt fish or sour candies. Similar to how you should drip some freshly squeezed lemon juice on your salmon steaks, the citric acid brings out tons of great flavors.

Ambul Thiyal Meat

We were fortunate to be able to get a large hunk of tuna steak from the fish monger here in Ella. It was just 2,400 Sri Lankan rupees, or about $13 for enough fish for 4 servings. When making Ambul Thiyal you really want to use the best quality fish you can, since you are not adding tons of spices to mask the flavor. This recipe is traditionally done with tuna, but you can get creative and use a different fish, or even pork or chicken.

We let the chunks of tuna cure for one hour in all the juices and paste in a clay pot. While this was happening, we chopped up some vegetables, and grated some fresh coconut for the curry base. Actually, Alona grated the coconut while we were chopping the veggies and drinking Lion beer.

Cooking Notes

After making the curry, the strategy is to put the meat in to simmer for 5-10 minutes, but if you want the tuna a little less cooked, you can just put it in the last minute to get coated in the curry. As the tuna is cooked by acid in Ambul Thiyal, you can actually eat it straight from the clay pot!

This recipe is also featured in my article Best Sri Lankan Recipes