Pol Sambol

Ah the pol sambol! Perhaps Sri Lanka's most loved accompaniment. Whilst we love our Sinhala achcharu's, mojus, seeni sambols and Malay pickles, the pol sambol is perhaps the most commonly and frequently made side dish for any meal. Eaten with just rice (and a blob of butter if you're piggish like me) or with buttered bread and dhal, or string hoppers with kiri hodi or just as a filling in a sandwich or toastie, this delicious delight elevates any meal.

The recipe for all pol sambols have the same base ingredients. Variations occur from family to family, and of course the level of spice depends on the individual too. The end result is a conseus though: it should be a lovely orange shade, singing with the zing of lime and laden with chilie.

Recipe notes (PLEASE READ!)

Coconut: If you can get fresh coconut, then great! If not, microwave 250g of desiccated coconut with 100g of water with a lid on, for 1 minutes and 20 seconds on high. Stir through, and your coconut is ready to use!

Garlic and Ginger: Whilst not the most common ingredients to add, I love my pol sambol with the bite of fresh garlic and a bit of ginger in there. The garlic is lovely and pungent and the ginger adds a bit of roundness & heat. Leave this out if that's not your thing!

Tomato: Some people add tomato to their pol sambol. I have not and will not do this. Not only does tomato make the sambol soggy, it also makes the sambol taste acerbic after a few hours, and allows the sambol to spoil within a day instead of keeping it for up to 10 days. If you like tomato, go ahead and add it in!

Chilie: The spice level of the pol sambol obviously depends on the chilie you use. I opt to use both chilie flakes for heat and chilie powder for colour. If you aren't finding the lovely orange shade of a pol sambol, add in 1 tsp of turmeric. No one will know and I promise you it will taste good.

Maldive Fish flakes/Umbalakada: This is completely optional, and I often make my pol sambol without this, but I definitely recommend using it. Leave out if vegan/vegetarian.

Storing and Re-eating: If you are making this ahead, do not add in the lime. Make this without the lime and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 10 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Always bring the sambol to room temperature before serving and add in the lime. Never microwave this. It’s important to not store this with lime juice already mixed in because lime will lose its punchiness over time as this sambol sits.

Equipment: I make this using a food processor for convenience. You can use one, use a mortar and pestle, or forego all that and chop everything finely.

Onions: Eschalots (small red onions) or French shallots are the ideal candidates for this, followed by standard red onions. White onions and brown onions are very acerbic in flavour and ideally lend themselves well to recipes where they are cooked down for long periods of time. Please do not use these onions.

Ingredients

• 300g of fresh coconut or 250g desiccated, prepared as per notes above

• 1 medium onion or 2 small onions (red onion only, do not use brown or white)

• 4-5 cloves of garlic

• 2 medium green chilies

• 3 tsp ginger

• 1 sprig curry leaves

• 3cm pandan leaf

• 2 tbs red chilie flakes

• 4 tsp red chilie powder

• 2 tsp black pepper

• 2 tsp Maldive fish flakes (optional)

• Juice of 1 lime (to taste)

• Salt (to taste)

Assemble everything and prepare the coconut.

Firstly add the garlic, ginger, pandan, curry leaves, fish flakes, salt and pepper into the food processor or mortar and pestle and process into a chunky consistency.

Next, add in the green chilie and onion, pulse into a chunky consistency and add in the chilie powder and flakes.

I like to leave this spice paste fairly chunky as I love the textural contrast. You can make this as smooth or as chunky as you like.

Add the spice paste into the coconut and mix well until combined. Before serving, add in the lime juice and adjust for salt.

DO NOT MIX USING YOUR HANDS. It’s alright if you are wearing gloves, but not with bare hands. Coconut is prone to spoilage and the bacteria introduced by hands into the mix can make the sambol spoil very quickly.

And that is that! How easy is that! Can not wait to see all the scrumptious things you guys come up with!

Sav xx