"Dried red chilli sambol" is the English description of a small family of fiery Sri Lankan condiments built on dried red chilli rather than fresh. On a Sri Lankan table you will meet them under their own names: lunu miris, katta sambol, the cooked seeni sambol and the jarred chilli pastes. They look alike, red and glossy in a small bowl, but they are made differently and eaten in different ways. This page sorts them out, and the short card below gives the basic raw version.
What they share is dried chilli, usually as flakes and sometimes also as powder, with salt and onion. What separates them is whether they are raw or cooked, whether they include Maldive fish, and whether they are sour and sharp or sweet and jammy.
Which dried-chilli sambol is which?
- Lunu miris. "Salt and chilli" in Sinhala. Dried chilli pounded raw with salt, red onion or shallots and lime juice into a hot, wet paste, eaten fresh. This is the one most people mean by a dried red chilli sambol, and the classic partner for kiribath. See the full lunu miris recipe.
- Katta sambol. Much the same raw paste, and many cooks treat the name as a synonym for lunu miris. Where a difference is drawn, katta sambol always contains Maldive fish and is often drier and more concentrated.
- Seeni sambol. A cooked relish. Sliced onions are fried slowly with chilli flakes, spices and curry leaves, then finished with tamarind and a little sugar (seeni) until sweet, sour and jammy. See seeni sambol.
- Chilli paste. Also cooked: chilli flakes fried in oil, often with fried onion, garlic and dried shrimp, and seasoned with sugar, vinegar or soy sauce. It keeps for weeks in a jar and is spooned beside fried rice and noodles.
Basic dried red chilli sambol (lunu miris)
- Serves 4
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Cook: none (pounded raw)
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 120 g (about 1 cup) shallots or 1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 tbsp dried red chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional, for extra heat and colour)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp Maldive fish (umbalakada) chips (optional; with it, many call this katta sambol)
- 2 tsp lime juice (about half a lime)
Method
- Grind the dry ingredients. Pound the chilli flakes, chilli powder, salt and Maldive fish, if using, in a mortar for 1 to 2 minutes, until no large pieces remain.
- Pound in the onion. Add the onion a handful at a time and pound for 2 to 3 minutes, until it forms a rough, juicy paste.
- Finish with lime. Mix in the lime juice, taste, adjust the salt and lime, and serve at room temperature.
For tips on texture, heat and serving, see the full lunu miris recipe; for the Maldive fish version, see katta sambol.
Are lunu miris and katta sambol really different?
Honestly, it depends on who you ask. Sri Lankan cooks and recipe writers are split: some use the two names for exactly the same chilli, onion and Maldive fish paste, while others keep lunu miris for the plain version and call the fish-rich one katta sambol or umbalakada sambol. The simplest historical form of lunu miris is sometimes described as only chilli powder, salt and lime. Because the ingredients overlap so closely, our lunu miris and katta sambol pages use the same quantities, with the Maldive fish optional on one and included on the other.
How do raw and cooked chilli sambols differ in use?
The raw sambols, lunu miris and katta sambol, are made just before a meal and eaten the same day, in small amounts, for their sharp heat and fresh onion crunch. They go with kiribath, hoppers, coconut roti, bread and rice. Cooked seeni sambol is milder, sweeter and keeps for about a week in the fridge; it is spread on bread, eaten with string hoppers and rice, and is one of the fillings in lamprais. Jarred chilli paste is a store-cupboard condiment rather than a sambol made for the day.
Where does coconut come in?
Add freshly grated coconut to the same chilli, onion, salt and lime and you have pol sambol, the milder everyday coconut relish. It is not usually counted as a dried-chilli sambol, because the coconut rather than the chilli leads. Nor is lunu dehi, which sounds similar but is a pickle of limes cured in salt.
What goes into the heat?
All of these rely on dried red chilli: flakes for texture, powder for an even heat and colour. Using flakes alone gives a milder sambol. Some cooks add a few crushed black peppercorns, a clove of garlic or a fresh chilli for extra bite. The Maldive fish is cured tuna, so leave it out for a vegan version.
