Maldive Fish

Pol Sambola

Pol Sambol

Pol sambol is freshly grated coconut pounded with red chilli, lime, onion and a little Maldive fish. You might know it as coconut sambol or Sri Lankan coconut relish, but it is the same thing: bright red, fiercely hot and ready in ten minutes flat, with not a single pan involved. Smeared on bread, piled onto hoppers or spooned next to rice and dhal, it goes with absolutely everything.

Lunu Miris Sambola

Lunu Miris

Lunu miris, written lunu miris sambola or salt chilli sambol, is the no-coconut cousin of pol sambol. Dried red chilli, raw onion, a little Maldive fish and lime, pounded into a dark paste that is salty, sour and properly hot all at once. A little goes a long way. This is the red smear you spread on a plain hopper or string hopper at breakfast, the one that wakes the table up.

Seeni Sambola

Seeni Sambol

Seeni sambol, sometimes written seeni sambola or onion sambol and known in English as sweet onion relish, is slow-cooked caramelised red onion spiced with chilli, soured with tamarind and rounded out with a little jaggery. Dark, sticky and sweet-hot, it's the famous filling in seeni sambol buns and the calm, sweet contrast on a rice and curry plate. It takes patience to cook down, but a jar keeps for ages and, honestly, it only gets better as it sits.

Katta Sambol

Katta sambol, also known as dry chilli sambol, is the fiercest of all Sri Lankan sambols. Dried red chillies, red onion or shallots, salt and lime get pounded into a dry, crumbly, blazing-hot relish. The name 'katta' points to that sharp, biting heat. Unlike the moist, paste-like lunu miris, katta sambol stays dry and rust-red, made for tiny fiery pinches with rice and curry, string hoppers, pittu, kiribath or a slice of bread.

Wambatu Moju

Eggplant Moju

Wambatu moju, or eggplant moju, or brinjal moju, is fried eggplant tossed in a sweet, sour and spicy pickle of mustard, vinegar, chilli and sugar, with fried onion and green chilli. It's sticky, tangy and a little fiery. This Sri Lankan brinjal pickle shows up on festive tables and keeps for days, and the flavour only gets better.

Kos Mallung

Jackfruit Mallum

Kos mallum, known in English as jackfruit mallum, is a dry Sri Lankan side of tender jackfruit, finely shredded, tossed with fresh grated coconut, onion, green chilli, turmeric, curry leaves and popped mustard seeds. It cooks just until fragrant, then gets a squeeze of lime. English menus might call it a young jackfruit sambol, or simply shredded jackfruit with coconut. Mallum comes from mallung in Sinhala, a 'mix-up', a quickly tossed vegetable. And unlike kos curry, there's no gravy at all: it's dry, bright and naturally vegan.