This Sri Lankan meal kit makes a fantastic feast – and it’s great value too

Launching in Soho in 2015 with queues down the street, Sri Lankan restaurant Hoppers is part of the JKS Restaurants group established by by Jyotin, Karam and Sunaina Sethi which also includes Michelin starred Trishna and Gymkhana.

Five years on, the Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant has launched Cash & Kari, a Sri Lankan ‘corner shop’ for modern times – and they deliver to Manchester.

The online store sells meal kits, restaurant-blend curry powders, Sri Lankan spices, ready-to-drink cocktails, and Hoppers’ own-brew beers, all with nationwide delivery.

“Just like Hoppers was inspired by the toddy shops and street food stalls in Sri Lanka and South India, Cash & Kari emulates the small family-run shops in towns and cities across the region – selling their own blend of spices, batters, snacks and homemade drinks,” said Hoppers director Karan Gokani about the launch of Cash & Kari.

We tried one of the new Kari-home kits, offering a selection of cook-at-home signature dishes from the restaurant delivered pre-prepared and chilled to your door.

The Lamb Kothu kit costs £30 and comfortably serves two or three people, making it a great value meal kit option if you fancy trying something new.

Our Sri Lankan style feast starts with a bag of crunchy banana chips, which just need emptying into a bowl and make a perfect beer snack, followed by mutton rolls.

These croquette-like breadcrumbed spring rolls stuffed with curried mutton and potatoes have become a signature dish at the Soho restaurant, and are arguably the most popular ‘short eat’ sold at street-side bakeries in Sri Lanka, say Hoppers.

We loved them when we tried them at Hoppers Soho, and the good news is they’re easy to recreate at home, just needing to be deep-fried in 180 degree oil for three or four minutes until they’re golden brown.

Lightly spiced and crisp dipped into a pot of ready-made Sri Lankan hot sauce, they’re utterly addictive.

Kothu roti is traditionally cooked on a hot plate, but Hoppers have developed their version as a one-pot stir fry that’s easy to recreate at home.

The earthy spiced lamb is mixed with slices of roti, crunchy shredded carrot and cabbage and bits of scrambled egg (an optional addition but well worth it), making a hearty, warming dish with a cooling tempered yoghurt on the side for balance.

The ideal late-night snack of choice in Sri Lanka, a Kothu is just as good any time of the day, say Hoppers – and we couldn’t agree more.

Our meal finishes with ‘choco-coco biskut pudding’ to share, which just needs to be served chilled as it is.

It’s a comforting blend of coconut and chocolate layered with soaked biscuits and topped with salted cashews.

Easy to follow, delicious results, and a bargain to boot. What more could we ask for?

Hoppers Cash & Kari delivers nationwide with a minimum order value of £30, with last nationwide deliveries on Friday 18th December. You can order online at hopperscashandkari.com.