Ingredients
Sambol
- 3 tbspumbalakada (Maldive fish), finely grated or pounded
- 150 gfresh grated coconut
- 2 tbspchilli flakes, or 4 dried chillies pounded
- 1small red onion, chopped very fine
- juice of 1 lime
- ½ tspsalt
- a few curry leaves, chopped
To serve
- rice and curry
- string hoppers, or pol roti
Directions
- Buy the umbalakada. Smoking, boiling and sun-drying tuna into blocks hard as wood is a trade process, and the blocks are sold ready in every Sri Lankan and Maldivian shop.
- Grate or pound it into a fine powder. It is genuinely hard — use a coarse grater or a heavy mortar, and expect it to take a few minutes.
- Pound the chilli flakes, onion and salt together in a mortar until the onion breaks down and stains the chilli red. This is the step that makes a sambol rather than a salad — the onion’s juice carries the chilli.
- Add the grated coconut and the umbalakada powder and pound briefly, just enough to combine. Do not reduce it to a paste; pol sambol should stay loose and fluffy.
- Work in the lime juice and curry leaves with your fingers.
- Taste and adjust the lime and salt. Umbalakada is already salty, so add salt cautiously — often none is needed at all.
- Serve immediately alongside rice and curry, string hoppers or pol roti. It is at its best within an hour, while the coconut is still fresh.
Technique
- Pound rather than blitz. A processor turns pol sambol into a wet paste and the texture is the point.
- Taste before salting. The fish brings plenty.
- Fresh coconut, not desiccated. If you must use desiccated, moisten it with a little warm water and lime first.
Substitutions
- Dried shrimp or bonito flakes in place of Maldive fish, which are close in effect.
- Frozen grated coconut, which is far better than desiccated.
- Kashmiri chilli for colour with less heat.
Variations
- Katta sambol is the same with more chilli and no coconut.
- Grated into curries and dhal as a seasoning rather than made into sambol.
History
Known abroad as Maldive fish, it was traded from the Maldives to Sri Lanka for centuries and is now made in both countries.
Frequently asked questions
What is Umbalakada?
Umbalakada is a charcuterie & cured from Sri Lanka: rock-hard smoked and dried tuna, grated into sambols and curries for depth. Known abroad as Maldive fish, it was traded from the Maldives to Sri Lanka for centuries and is now made in both countries.
How long does Umbalakada take to make?
Umbalakada takes 20 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes makes about 200 g of sambol. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Umbalakada?
Yes, within limits. Dried shrimp or bonito flakes in place of Maldive fish, which are close in effect. Frozen grated coconut, which is far better than desiccated. Kashmiri chilli for colour with less heat.
What is the most important thing to get right in Umbalakada?
Pound the chilli flakes, onion and salt together in a mortar until the onion breaks down and stains the chilli red. This is the step that makes a sambol rather than a salad — the onion’s juice carries the chilli.
