Prima

Prima is one of the best known food names in Sri Lanka, where its flour mill supplies much of the wheat flour used in the country's bakeries and kitchens. Its instant noodles, flavoured after kottu roti, the chopped flatbread stir-fry sold from street stalls, are a fixture of Sri Lankan cupboards at home and abroad.

We carry Prima in two places. Our Sri Lankan noodles collection holds its kottu-style noodles in several flavours, from masala and hot and spicy to cheese and onion and nai miris, named after the fiery Sri Lankan chilli, in single packs and multipacks. Our chapati atta shelf holds its chakki fresh atta for rotis.

The noodles cook in a few minutes, and many Sri Lankan cooks turn them into a quick kottu at home: fry onion, leeks, carrot, cabbage and egg, add the noodles and the seasoning, and chop everything together in the pan with a little leftover chicken curry. They also go into a lunchbox with fried sprats or an egg on top. The atta makes soft chapatis and parathas for weekday dinners with dhal curry and pol sambol.

Keep noodle packs in a dry cupboard away from strong spices, and fold the atta bag tightly or tip it into a lidded tin once open. For more of the same aisle, compare our Asian instant noodles and the Maggi shelf.