Towards Making Wholesome Kottu: Common Recipes and Serving Numbers of Food Groups

Abstract

Kottu has now become an inseparable component of Sri Lankan food culture and is among the few food items that has gained international recognition as a Sri Lankan cuisine. In order to make kottu healthier and nutritionally acceptable, its' basic nutritional facts need to be ascertained. This study 1) determined the basic recipes of popular types of kottu and 2) compared the serving numbers of different food groups of a typical kottu with the standards set out in Food Based Dietary Guidelines for Sri Lankans. Information was collected from 36 urban and peri-urban Kottu making places in Galle and Matara Districts, using a structured type questionnaire and informal discussions. Anaverage kottu weighed 533 g which comprised of 253 g of wheat flour based rotti, 1 egg, 117 g of meat and 167 g of vegetables+ condiments +oil (carrot, 45 g; leeks 48 g; onion 20 g; green chili 5 g; salt 6 g; oil 10 ml; soy source 10 ml; chili and pepper mix 14 g and garlic and ginger mix 10 g). A typical kottu provides 5 cereals, 1.4 vegetable, 4.9 meat, egg, fish and pulses and 0.66 nut and oil servings and thus the consumption of an average kottu fulfills 63%, 35%, 140% and 16% of recommended daily serving numbers of the respective food groups. An average kottu accounts for 62% of the maximum daily cholesterol intake level and contains more than 6 g of salt The study identifies kottu as a good mean of serving vegetables. High cereal, protein, salt and cholesterol contents were identified as the negative nutritional arid health issues related to kottu. Importance of reducing protein fraction, use of whole wheat flour as the starchy base, increase of the amount and the verity of vegetables arid, serving of fruits and dairy with kottu is highlighted to make kottu nutritionally more acceptable and attractive.