Coconut sambal in a pestle and mortar

Coconut sambal

Name: Coconut sambal
Total time: 15 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 tsp whole black peppercorns; 1 tsp Maldive fish flakes; ½ small red onion finely chopped; 2 tsp chilli powder; 1 tsp hot paprika; 1 large fresh coconut flesh grated, or 100g desiccated coconut combined with 100ml water; 1 lime juiced

Peter Kuruvita

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Serves 4

Easy

Total time: 15 mins

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Coconut sambal (pol sambal) is served with nearly every meal in Sri Lanka. This easy recipe is ready in 15 minutes and would taste great with egg hoppers

Gluten free

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Alternatives

Complete the dish

This coconut sambal recipe is extracted from Peter Kuruvita's book Serendip: My Sri Lankan Kitchen (£16.99, Murdoch Books). Next, check out our egg hoppers, coconut sambal and more Sri Lankan recipes, plus learn more in our insider guide to Sri Lankan food.

Peter says, "Fresh pol (coconut) sambal is great with everything and is served with nearly every meal, including breakfast, when it is eaten with egg hoppers and kiri bath (coconut milk rice). Desiccated coconut is not as juicy as fresh coconut, but is an acceptable alternative. I have used paprika solely to give the sambal a rich red colour – you can use more red chilli if you want it very hot. Maldive fish flakes have the same importance in Sri Lankan cooking as shrimp paste does in Thai, Indonesian or Malay cooking. Used sparingly in most Sri Lankan curries as a thickening agent, they are a key ingredient in pol and seeni sambols (made with onions), and part of the secret to achieving an authentic Sri Lankan flavour. They have a strong aroma and lovely smoky flavour."

Ingredients

Nutrition

1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 tsp Maldive fish flakes
½ small red onion

finely chopped
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp hot paprika
1 large fresh coconut

flesh grated, or 100g desiccated coconut combined with 100ml water
1 lime

juiced

Nutrition: per serving

kcal176
fat15.9g
saturates13.4g
carbs2.8g
sugars2.7g
fibre5.8g
protein2.7g
salt0.2g

Method

step 1

Grind the peppercorns and fish flakes together with a large pestle and mortar until a coarse paste forms. Add the onion, chilli and paprika and pound until combined, then add the coconut and pound again until thoroughly mixed.
step 2

Stir in the lime juice, a little at a time, so the sambal is not too sour, then season to taste with salt. The sambal will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for five days.

*This recipe has been extracted from the book and not retested by our team

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Peter Kuruvita

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