Ingredients
Coconut
- 250 gfreshly grated coconut
To pound
- 8dried red chillies, or 2 tbsp chilli flakes
- 1small red onion, roughly chopped
- 3 tbspMaldive fish flakes, or dried shrimp
- 1 tspsalt
- 1/2 tspblack pepper
To finish
- juice of 2 limes
- a few curry leaves, if wanted
To serve
- rice and curry
- hoppers
- string hoppers
- bread
Equipment
- a mortar and pestle, or a heavy bowl
Directions
- Cover it with warm water for ten minutes and squeeze it out. It is tuna that has been boiled, smoked and dried until rock hard.
- Put the dried chillies in the mortar with the salt. Pound them until they break down into coarse flakes. Add the chopped onion and pound it in.
- Work it until it breaks down and releases its juice. Add the Maldive fish and pound it in. Add the curry leaves now if you are using them. Adding the coconut is done gradually. Add the grated coconut a handful at a time.
- Work it in with the pestle after each addition. Do not pound it hard, since you are mixing rather than crushing.
- Use a turning and pressing motion. The coconut should take on the colour of the chilli. Squeeze the lime juice over the mixture. Work it through with the pestle or with your fingers.
- Add the ground black pepper as well. It should be hot, salty, sour and savoury all at once. Adjust the salt, lime and chilli. Serving it is done freshly made. Spoon it into a small bowl and shape it into a mound.
- Serve it beside rice and curry, or with hoppers. It keeps for two days in the fridge but the coconut dries out.
Technique
- Fresh grated coconut is what makes it; desiccated must be rehydrated and is a compromise.
- Work the mixture until the colour is uniform pink-red with no white patches.
- Pound by hand rather than blending, since a machine turns it pasty.
Substitutions
- Desiccated coconut rehydrated in warm water, if fresh is unavailable.
- Dried shrimp in place of Maldive fish.
Variations
- Vegetarian, with the Maldive fish left out.
- Made with fresh green chilli instead of dried red.
- Lunu miris, the related onion and chilli sambol without coconut.
History
A relish of freshly grated coconut mixed with chili, lime, onion and often dried fish called Maldive fish, or umbalakada, ground together into a coarse, spicy paste, developed in Sri Lankan home cooking as a fast, uncooked accompaniment requiring no fire or stove, distinguishing it from most other components of a typical Sri Lankan meal. Fresh coconut, abundant across the island, forms the essential base, and the specific balance of chili heat, lime sourness and dried fish umami varies considerably by household, with the exact recipe often treated as a matter of individual family preference and pride rather than one fixed standard. It is eaten as an everyday accompaniment to rice and curry rather than reserved for any special occasion.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pol Sambol?
Pol Sambol is a sauce & condiment from Sri Lanka: grated coconut relish with chili, lime and Maldive fish. A relish of freshly grated coconut mixed with chili, lime, onion and often dried fish called Maldive fish, or umbalakada, ground together into a coarse, spicy paste, developed in Sri Lankan home cooking as a fast, uncooked accompaniment requiring no fire or stove, distinguishing it from most other components of a typical Sri Lankan meal. Fresh coconut, abundant across the island, forms the essential base, and the specific balance of chili heat, lime sourness and dried fish umami varies considerably by household, with the exact recipe often treated as a matter of individual family preference and pride rather than one fixed standard. It is eaten as an everyday accompaniment to rice and curry rather than reserved for any special occasion.
How long does Pol Sambol take to make?
Pol Sambol takes 20 min of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 1 bowl. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Pol Sambol?
Yes, within limits. Desiccated coconut rehydrated in warm water, if fresh is unavailable. Dried shrimp in place of Maldive fish.
What is the most important thing to get right in Pol Sambol?
Work it in with the pestle after each addition. Do not pound it hard, since you are mixing rather than crushing.
