Seeni Sambol Recipe (Sri Lankan)
Seeni Sambol / Sini Sambol / Seeni sambal is a sri lankan onion sambol made of caramelized onions. Seeni / Sini means ‘sugar’ in sinhala, and ‘sambol/sambal’ means a type of relish. This onion relish can be an accompaniment to any sri lankan food due to it’s mix of sweet, sour and spicy flavors. It uses minimal ingredients, and you don’t need coconut milk for this recipe (unlike many sri lankan recipes)
How to make Seeni Sambol (the short version)
This seeni sambol recipe is very easy and takes only 15 minutes of time to cook. First, mariante onions in spices (turmeric powder, salt) and tamarind juice. Then heat a pan with oil, and add some spices (maldive fish flakes, chili flakes/chili powder, crushed cardoman). Fry the spices for 1-2 mins and add the onions. Cook until the onions caramelize and blend together to form a kind of onion chutney.
Reasons to try this Sri Lankan Seeni Sambol Recipe
- Cook in only 15 mins
- Uses only one ingredient (excluding spices)
- Versatile dish – serve with any food!
- Use to make a quick and easy breakfast
What ingredients do you need to make Seeni Sambal?
- Red Onions
- Tamarind juice
- Chili flakes / red chilli powder
- Curry leaves (optional)
- Turmeric powder
- Salt
- Sugar
- Maldive fish flakes (optional)
Tips and Tricks to Cook this Sini Sambol Recipe
- Do not roasted the spices for more than one or two minutes. Otherwise the spices will burn and you will end up with a burnt tasting seeni sambol.
- This recipe makes a low heat seeni sambol. Add a teaspoon or more of chili flakes/chilli powder to make a spicy seeni sambol.
- Caution – Let the seeni sambol cool completely before eating it. It will be very hot due to the caramelized sugar.
- Keep crushing the onions while they are cooking. Use up all your energy. Boyfriend forgot your anniversary? CRUSH CRUSH (jk). Seriously though, crushing the onions with a spoon with release more flavor, and help the onions blend together.
Side dishes to Serve with this Seeni Sambol Recipe
Now we know how to make seeni sambol. How do we serve this flavorful dish?
In Sri Lankan cuisine, seeni sambal can be served with any dish such as :
- Main dishes – Served with bread and butter, naan, roti, kiribath (milk rice) or string hoppers
- Curries– This is best served with mild curries such as mild dhal curry or zucchini curry. Since the seeni sambol is quite sweet, I don’t prefer pairing with sweet dishes such as beetroot curry or sweet and sour prawn devil.
- For a simple vegetarian meal, cook seeni sambol without maldive fish and serve with hot white rice, sri lankan lentil curry and a simple salad
Sri Lankan Seeni Sambol Recipe
Ingredients
Step 1- Marinade onions
- 1 Onion (Big, Red)
- 1 tsp Tamarind concentrate
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Salt
Step 2-Fry onion with spices
- 1 tbsp Oil High heat oil - Coconut / Corn / Vegetable
- 1 tsp Chili flakes / chilli powder
- 1 tsp Maldive fish flakes optional
- 5 Curry leaves (chopped) optional
- 3 Cardoman (chopped)
- 2 tbsp Sugar
Instructions
- Chopped one big red onion into thin slices. Add the marinade ingredients listed in Step 1 (salt, turmeric powder, and tamarind concentrate)
- Heat oil in a pan, and add all the ingredients listed in Step 2 (except for sugar). Fry for 1-2 mins in medium heat until chili changes color to be dark
- Add the marinated onions and stir well. Close lid and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes until onions are browned
- Add the sugar, and cook on medium heat for 5-10 mins, until the sugar caramelizes and the onion pieces change their texture and blend together
How to make Seeni Sambol
(Recipe with step by step pictures)
Ingredients needed for seeni sambol – From the top there are chili flakes, turmeric powder, maldive fish flakes and cardoman. On the right is a big red onion halved
Onions thinly sliced before marination
Turmeric powder and salt added to the sliced onions
Tamarind concentrate added to the sliced onions
Tamarind concentrate mixed with the sliced onions
After heating oil, chili flakes, maldive fish flakes and the chopped cardoman pods are added (can be substituted with 1/2 tsp cardoman powder)
Cook for 1-2 mins until the chili flakes turn dark in color like the picture below.
Add the sliced and marinated onions to the pan. Mix with spices, close lid and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes.
Cook until onions have browned like this
Add sugar to the onions, and cook on medium heat while crushing the onions with a spoon
The sugar with caramelize and make the color darker in the dish. The onions have not blended together yet, so keep cooking
Cook until the onions have completely lost their texture, and blended together to form an onion chutney. Add more salt or sugar if the dish is too sour for your taste. Let the seeni sambol cool down and serve with any food!
