Katta sambol, also written katta sambola or katta sambal, is a raw Sri Lankan paste of dried red chilli, shallots or red onion, salt, lime juice and Maldive fish (umbalakada), pounded together until the onion turns juicy and the fish is shredded through the chilli. It is hot, salty, sour and savoury all at once, and a small spoonful goes a long way.
It is eaten with the plainer staples of the Sri Lankan table: kiribath (milk rice), hoppers, string hoppers, coconut roti, pittu, bread and rice. Kiribath is the first meal of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, cooked at an auspicious time set by the Avurudu nakath, and a chilli sambol like this is its familiar partner.
How to make katta sambol
- 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, or more to taste
- 2 tsp lime juice (about half a lime)
Method
- Pound the Maldive fish. Put the Maldive fish in a mortar and pound for about a minute, until it breaks into coarse shreds rather than a fine powder.
- Add the chilli and salt. Add the chilli flakes, chilli powder and salt and pound for another minute, until well mixed.
- Pound in the onion. Add the shallots or onion a handful at a time and pound for 2 to 3 minutes, until they soften into a rough, juicy paste.
- Add the lime. Add the lime juice and pound or stir briefly until evenly combined.
- Taste and adjust. Taste and add more salt, lime or chilli as needed. Serve at room temperature.
Is katta sambol the same as lunu miris?
Very often, yes. Many Sri Lankan cooks and recipe writers use katta sambol and lunu miris for the same chilli, onion and Maldive fish paste, and some recipes are simply titled with both names. Where a distinction is made, it is the fish: lunu miris, "salt and chilli", can be made without it, while katta sambol always contains Maldive fish, and is then sometimes called umbalakada sambol. Some cooks also make katta sambol drier and more concentrated.
To keep things consistent, our katta sambol and lunu miris recipes use the same quantities; the only difference is that the Maldive fish is optional in lunu miris and essential here. Some families use far more fish, up to an equal volume with the onion, for a drier, fishier sambol. Our guide to dried red chilli sambols compares the whole family.
How is it different from other sambols?
- Pol sambol adds freshly grated coconut, which makes it milder and softer.
- Seeni sambol is cooked slowly until the onions are sweet and jammy.
- Maldive fish sambol, as usually made, is a fried version with crisp onion, garlic and curry leaves, and it keeps longer.
- Lunu dehi is not a sambol at all but a pickle of limes cured in salt.
How do you control the heat?
Katta sambol is meant to be hot. For a milder version, leave out the chilli powder and use the flakes only. For more heat, pound in a fresh chilli; our page on nai miris and kochchi compares two of Sri Lanka's hottest fresh chillies. A few crushed black peppercorns or a clove of garlic are other common additions.
Do you need a grinding stone?
Traditionally it is ground on a miris gala, the flat granite grinding stone and roller, or pounded in a stone mortar, which crushes rather than cuts the onion. A mortar and pestle at home gives the same result. A food processor also works: pulse the fish first, then the onion and chilli in short bursts, and stir in the lime by hand so the paste stays coarse.
How long does it keep?
Katta sambol is best eaten on the day it is made, while the onion is still crisp and the lime is fresh. Leftovers can be covered and kept in the fridge for a day or two; refresh them with a squeeze of lime. Because it contains Maldive fish, which is cured tuna, it is not vegetarian; leave the fish out and you have plain lunu miris.
