Spicy and tangy, Sambal is a classic accompaniment to nearly any Sri Lankan dish!  From dipping your hoppers (Sri Lankan rice based crêpes) in it to dabbing it on some roti, at breakfast, lunch or dinner, it’ll please your pallet no matter the time of day!

pol sambal
pol sambal

And there are a TON of types!  This type is a sini sambla, but while in Sri Lanka we also had pol sambal (a coconut based sambal), and it was SPICY and delicious!
In Sri Lanka, most families have a large stone mortar and heavy wooden pestle.  After years of use, both the mortar and pestle become “seasoned” and produce flavors that cannot be replicated without such aged tools.However…If you don’t have a 30 year old mortar and pestle, no worries!  Two bricks, covered in tin foil (though this way is a bit messier than a mortar and pestle) will work just fine for pounding the ingredients, and you’ll be able to make a (nearly as) delicious sambal regardless!  Or you could buy a mortar and pestal now, and create a new family heirloom!

What You’re Going For

This recipe, put very simply, is savory, spicy and tangy condiment/accompaniment to almost any Sri Lankan dish.  It should be somewhat thick, like a paste, but can be a little watery if you’d prefer that.  It is usually, somewhat sparingly, put on rice or roti.  But I love it, so I put it on thick! More details in the recipe below!

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2 Comments

  1. Susan Goldman Reply

    I have nade your Kosher Pickles recipe several times and I and my family love them. My problem is that I lost my printout of the recipe and you don’t seem to be showing it anymore – is it no longer available (I hope not)?

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