Pol Sambol Spice Mixture

Name: Pol Sambol Spice Mixture
Yield: Prepared fresh per use, typically about 1-2 cups
Ingredients: Fresh grated coconut; dried red chile flakes (or fresh red chile); lime juice; Maldive fish flakes (dried tuna, a distinctive Sri Lankan/Maldivian umami ingredient); red onion; and salt; pounded together into a coarse relish

The Quirky Foodster Team

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Prepared fresh per use, typically about 1-2 cups

Servings

Ingredients

Fresh grated coconut
dried red chile flakes (or fresh red chile)
lime juice
Maldive fish flakes (dried tuna, a distinctive Sri Lankan/Maldivian umami ingredient)
red onion
and salt
pounded together into a coarse relish

Method

Pound or blend all ingredients together into a coarse, moist relish — this is fundamentally a fresh condiment rather than a dry spice powder.
Not applicable; all ingredients are used fresh or dried-but-unroasted.

Origin: Sri Lanka — the spice component of pol sambol, a fresh coconut relish rather than a dry stored blend.

Use: Served as a fresh table condiment alongside rice and curry, a Sri Lankan meal staple.

Classic Dishes: Served with virtually any Sri Lankan rice-and-curry meal as a standard accompaniment.

Storage: Best made fresh and eaten within a day, given the fresh coconut and onion content; does not keep well.

Variations: Countless household variations in chile heat and the presence/absence of Maldive fish; a vegetarian version omits the fish entirely.

Substitutions: No close substitute for the specific combination of fresh coconut, chile, and dried fish umami.