Pol sambol facts for kids
Traditional pol sambol
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| Alternative names | Pol sambol, thengai sambal, coconut sambol |
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| Course | Condiments |
| Place of origin | Sri Lanka |
| Serving temperature | Room temperature |
| Main ingredients | coconut, red onion, chillies, salt, lime/lemon |
Pol sambol (Sinhala: පොල් සම්බෝල), or thenkai sambal (Tamil: தேங்காய் சம்பல்), is a traditional Sri Lankan dish made from coconut, mostly used as an accompaniment with rice, string hoppers, hoppers and curries. It is a coconut relish, consisting of freshly grated coconut, shallots, dried whole chilies (or chili powder), lime juice, salt and Maldive fish.
Ingredients
- Coconut
- Shallots
- Ground dry red chillies
- Salt
- Lime
- Pepper (optional)
- Maldive fish
- Garlic (optional)
- Tomato (optional)
Preparation
The traditional method for preparing pol sambol is to grind the freshly grated coconut, shallot, chillies and maldive fish (umbalakaḍa - a smoked and cured tuna, that is sold in chips or flakes) on a rectangular block of granite with a granite rolling-pin, known as a miris gala (Sinhala: මිරිස් ගල). If fresh coconut is unavailable then moistened desiccated coconut can be used as an alternative. Apply the juice of a freshly squeezed lime (or lemon) through the mixture, add salt if needed and serve as a side dish. A variation can be made by sautéing the pol sambol in mustard seeds, curry leaves and sliced onion, which is called Badapu Pol Sambol (sautéed pol sambol).
