The Best Sri Lankan Coconut (Pol) Sambol Recipe
Pol Sambol / Sambola is a traditional Sri Lankan coconut relish dish. In Sinhala, “Pol” means coconut, and “sambol” is a type of relish. It is prepared by mixing fresh shredded coconut with onions, chillies, tomatoes, spices, lemon juice and salt. Shredded coconut is obtained by splitting open a coconut and using a coconut grater to shred the coconut. Back in Sri Lankan, grating coconut was a household task assigned to my dad, sister or me. It was the easiest way to help our mother with cooking. Making Pol Sambol always brings back fond memories of eating simple meals with my family. While living in the US, it is too time consuming to find good coconut, split and grate them. I was able to find frozen shredded coconut in the Indian Grocery stores which taste pretty good.
Pol Sambola is really easy and fast Sri Lankan food to prepare, and can be a delicious side dish to any meal. If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below. I would love to get your feedback. As always, love and good vibes to you all. Happy cooking!
Reasons to Try to this Pol Sambola Recipe
1) Quick – only takes 10 mins to make!
2) Can be served with any dish!
3) The unofficial national dish in Sri Lanka (next to Kottu, of course!)
What Ingredients do you need for this Pol Sambol Recipe?
To cook this easy coconut sambol recipe, you need the following ingredients (including curry spices) :
- Shredded coconut (or grated coconut)
- One small tomato (optional)
- One small garlic clove (optional)
- Small pearl onions
- Green Chili
- Red Chilli powder (Key ingredient if mixing pol sambol by hand)
- Red chilli flakes
- Black pepper powder
- Maldive fish flakes (optional)
- Lemon Juice / Lime Juice
- Salt
Tips and Tricks to Cook the Perfect Pol Sambol
- Using fresh coconut will taste the best, but frozen coconut also works in this recipe. In the US, shredded coconut can be found in the frozen section of any asian grocery store. Make sure you buy the ‘shredded’ and not ‘chunks’ of frozen coconut
- Adding a garlic clove is optional in this recipe since it adds some heat and garlicky taste to the Pol Sambola. Omit completely if you are not a fan of garlic.
- Adding a small tomato (or a few cherry tomatoes) is options in this recipe. Adding tomatoes will make the pol sambol more moist and sour. Add less lemon juice if adding tomatoes.
- Substitute the red pearl onions with about half or quarter of a regular onion (red). White onions do not add flavor to any sambola dish, so they are not recommended to use in this recipe
- Whole red chilies can be substituted for red chillie flakes. Cut the whole red chilies into smaller pieces and grind in the mortar and pestle. To lessen the heat, remove the seeds first before grinding.
- Red chilli flakes can also be substituted with red chili powder. Note that the flavor will change a bit.
- No mortar and pestle? No problem! Just mix all the ingredients by hand. Definitely use red chili powder in this case, since it is much easier to mix that chili flakes.
- Maldive fish flakes (also called Umalakada) is a traditional sri lankan condiment added to pol sambol, which gives it an umami taste. Please omit if you are vegetarian/vegan. Pol sambol still tastes great without maldive fish flakes.
Dishes to serve with Pol Sambol
In Sri Lankan cuisine, Pol Sambol is a typical side dish for any curry. It is a mix of salty, spicy and sweet taste from the coconut, and pairs well with any curry. Ways to serve Pol Sambol are:
- Any Sri Lankan Curry – My personal favorite is Shrimp Curry and Pol Sambol
- String Hoppers – Serve with chicken curry, dhal curry and…POL SAMBOL!
- Bread – One combination is Bread, Butter, Marmite and Pol Sambol. A certain handsome guy I know also prefers to eat Pol Sambol with Bread and Jam.
- THE SIMPLEST AND BEST SRI LANKAN MEAL YOU WILL EVER EAT- Hot Rice, Pol Sambol, Dhal Curry and Fried Karawala (Dry Fish) or Fried Halmasso (Anchovies)
Pol Sambol
Ingredients
- 1 packet Frozen grated coconut
- 4 Pearl onions
- 4 Cherry tomatoes optional
- 2 Green chillies
Seasoning
- 2 tbsp Chillie flakes
- 2 tbsp Black pepper
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tsp Pepper powder / chillie powder optional
- 1 tbsp Maldive fish powder Umbalakada, optional
Instructions
- Defrost the coconut by leaving it in the fridge overnight or at room temperature
- Finely chop the onions, tomatoes and green chilies
- Add chillie flakes, black pepper and salt to the mortar, and grind to break up the whole peppers
- Add the chopped onions and green chillies and grind them together
- Add the tomatoes and grind them, mixing it with all the previously ground onions, chillies and spices
- Finally, add the coconut to the mortar and mix all together
- Take out the mixture from the mortar and add lemon juice to taste
- To increase spiciness, add pepper and chillie powder to the coconut sambol
Notes
- When cutting the onions, chillies and tomatoes, chop them as finely as possible
- For the seasonings use: 2 tbsp chillie powder, 2 tbsp black pepper powder, 1 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Mix the coconut, seasonings (above), and the chopped onions, chillies and tomatoes
How to make Sri Lankan Pol Sambol (step by step with pictures)
If using frozen coconut, defrost the coconut by leaving it in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for an hour. Finely chop the onions, tomatoes (optional) and green chilies.
Black pepper and red chilli flakes to be used in this recipe. Note the mortar and pestle in the background 🙂 No worries if you don’t have one. Pol sambol can be mixed by hand!
Add chillie flakes, black pepper and salt to the mortar, and grind to break up the whole peppers
Add the chopped onions and green chillies and grind them together
Add the tomatoes and grind them, mixing it with all the previously ground onions, chillies and spices. Finally, add the coconut to the mortar and mix all together.
Take out the mixture from the mortar and add lemon juice and salt to taste. Can be stored in fridge for up to 3 days. Enjoy!
