🇱🇰 Sri LankaCatalog recipe
Fresh coconut pounded rough with dried chili, shallot and lime until it turns sandy, sharp and fire-red — the condiment every Sri Lankan table needs.
For 4 servings.
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If using desiccated coconut, rehydrate it with the 2 tbsp warm water and let it sit until moist and pliable.
Pound the dried chilies with the shallot and a pinch of salt in a mortar (or pulse in a food processor) into a coarse red paste.
Add the coconut and continue pounding or pulsing just until everything is evenly flecked red — stop before it turns into a purée.
💡 A rough, sandy texture is correct; over-processing turns pol sambol into paste.
Squeeze in the lime juice and work it through with your fingers, tasting as you go.
Adjust salt, chili and lime until it hits sour-hot-salty balance, then rest 10 minutes before serving so the flavors settle.
Pol sambol is made fresh in most Sri Lankan kitchens daily, pounded by hand in a stone mortar called a miris gala. It rides alongside rice and curry, hoppers and plain bread alike, cutting through richer, coconut-heavy dishes with sharp chili and lime.
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Nothing here yet — questions about technique, timing, and substitutions all welcome.