Pickles, Sambols and Preserves
Maldive Fish Sambol (Umbalakada Sambol)
Cured tuna pounded with chilli and lime, the saltiest and most savoury jar on the shelf.
- Made from proper cured and smoked tuna
- The most savoury thing on the shelf
- Pounded rather than blended, so it keeps its texture
- A teaspoon carries a plate of plain rice
- No monosodium glutamate, the savouriness is the fish
Available to pre-orderSKU: CC-SAM-UMB
Size: 150g
- Carefully packed and shipped to your door
- 14-day replacement on damaged items
- Secure checkout
Description
Maldive fish, umbalakada, is tuna that has been boiled, smoked and dried until it is hard as wood. Pounded with dried chilli, onion and lime it becomes this sambol: intensely savoury, salty and hot, and a spoonful will carry a whole plate of plain rice.
Umbalakada is one of the oldest preserved foods in the region. The fish is cooked, smoked and dried until it will keep for months without refrigeration, which mattered a great deal before anybody had a fridge.
In that state it is rock hard and has to be broken up before it is any use. Pounded into a sambol with chilli, onion and lime, it turns into the most savoury thing in a Sri Lankan kitchen.
A little goes a long way. This is a condiment measured in teaspoons, not spoonfuls, and it is what makes plain rice into a meal when there is nothing else in the house.
How to Use
- A teaspoon stirred into hot rice with coconut oil
- Alongside a plain dhal when there is nothing else
- Mixed through a pol sambol for extra depth
- Spread thinly on bread with butter
Cook with It
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Frequently Asked
Tuna that has been boiled, smoked and sun-dried until it is hard as a piece of wood and will keep for months without a fridge. It is one of the oldest preserved foods in the region and it is the savoury backbone of Sri Lankan cooking.
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