Pol sambol (පොල් සම්බෝල) is the fresh coconut relish that appears at almost every Sri Lankan meal. Freshly grated coconut is pounded with dried red chilli, red onion or shallots and salt, sharpened with lime juice and, in many homes, given extra savouriness with a few flakes of Maldive fish. Nothing is cooked: the whole thing takes about ten minutes, and it is eaten at room temperature on the day it is made. In Tamil it is known as thengai sambal.
It is a breakfast staple with string hoppers, hoppers, roti and plain bread, and a standard spoonful beside rice and curry at lunch. The word pol means coconut in Sinhala, and the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) supplies the one ingredient that really matters here: good, freshly grated coconut.
How to make Sri Lankan pol sambol
- Serves 4
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Cook: none (pounded raw)
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 150 g (about 1 1/2 cups) freshly grated coconut, or thawed frozen grated coconut
- 2 tsp dried red chilli flakes, or 6 small dried red chillies
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder, for colour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 shallots or 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, chopped (optional)
- 1 tbsp Maldive fish (umbalakada) chips or flakes (optional)
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (optional)
- 1 to 2 tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
Method
- Grind the chilli. Put the chilli flakes or dried chillies, chilli powder and salt in a mortar and pound for 1 to 2 minutes, until the chilli is broken down and the salt has turned red.
- Add the Maldive fish. If using, add the Maldive fish and pound for about a minute, until it is broken into fine shreds.
- Pound the onion. Add the shallots or onion and the green chilli and pound for 1 to 2 minutes, until they are bruised and juicy but not a smooth purée.
- Work in the coconut. Add the coconut and pepper and keep pounding and turning with a spoon for 2 to 3 minutes, until the coconut is evenly orange-red and slightly moist.
- Season with lime. Stir in 1 tbsp lime juice, taste, then add more lime or salt until the sambol is sharp, salty and hot in balance. Serve at room temperature.
What do you need to make it?
Traditionally the ingredients are ground on a miris gala, a flat granite slab with a granite roller, which crushes the chilli and onion rather than cutting them. A heavy mortar and pestle does the same job at home. Many cooks now use a small food processor or spice grinder and pulse briefly, adding the lime afterwards. The quickest version of all is to mix finely chopped onion, green chilli, chilli powder and seasonings into the coconut by hand, which gives a looser, crunchier sambol.
Can you use desiccated or frozen coconut?
Fresh coconut gives the best, creamiest result. Frozen grated coconut, sold in many Asian grocers, is a good substitute once it has thawed and come back to room temperature; cold coconut does not take up the chilli and lime evenly. Unsweetened desiccated coconut will work in a pinch, but it is drier, so soak it in a few tablespoons of warm water for 10 minutes first. Never use sweetened coconut.
What do you eat pol sambol with?
- Breakfast. String hoppers with kiri hodi, plain hoppers, coconut roti, pittu or kiribath.
- Rice and curry. A spoonful beside dhal curry, chicken curry or fish curry adds heat, salt and freshness.
- Bread. Bread with pol sambol, often with a curry, is an everyday quick breakfast.
How is it different from other sambols?
Pol sambol is defined by coconut. Lunu miris is a much sharper paste of red onion, dried chilli, Maldive fish, salt and lime with no coconut at all, while seeni sambol is cooked slowly until the onions are sweet and jammy. Gotu kola sambol is a leafy salad that uses the same coconut, onion and lime base. Pol sambol is also not to be confused with lunu dehi, the salted lime pickle.
A cooked variation, badapu pol sambol, is made by frying the sambol briefly in a little oil with mustard seeds, curry leaves and sliced onion, which gives it a toasted flavour.
Is pol sambol vegan?
Only without the Maldive fish, which is cured tuna. Leave it out and the recipe above is vegan and gluten-free. Some cooks add a small chopped tomato for extra moisture in place of the fish.
How long does it keep?
Pol sambol is best eaten within a few hours of making. The coconut keeps absorbing lime and chilli, and the texture softens as it stands. If you have leftovers, cover and refrigerate them straight away and eat within 24 hours; freezing is not recommended. Leftover sambol can be warmed in a dry pan over a low heat until slightly toasted.
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