Seeni Sambol- A Flavourful And Spicy Condiment Made In Minutes

Yield – 1 1/2 cups 

Prep time – 5 mins              Cooking time – 15 mins               Cooling time – 5 – 10 mins

It’s caramelized brown as same as the skin of most Sri Lankans, with a chewy crunch giving you an inseparable taste and aroma blast not just in your mouth, but throughout your entire home. It may have made you cry at the beginning of making this, but I promise, it’s one of the most amazing Sri Lankan dishes you will ever try, or may I call it a condiment as most of us are referring to? 

This spicy, sweet, and savory flavor blast can go well with most Sri Lankan dishes, whether rice, milk rice, string hoppers, hoppers, bread, roti, or as a filling in buns or imbul. Honestly, I may have missed something here, but the list goes on. Because of its uniqueness, we Sri Lankans pair it with most of our dishes. 

If this sounds familiar to you, yes you might be correct. I’m talking about Seeni Sambol, which you will find as onion relish, caramelized onion chutney, or caramelized onion relish on Google. This dish is always making me back in time. If you want to know how, please check out my food story, Is it True That Food Can Help You Time Travel?

What do you need? 

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil 
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 
• 1 tablespoon garlic, mined 
• 3 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods 
• 1-inch cinnamon stick 
• 1/4 tablespoon turmeric powder 
• 2 tablespoons chili flakes
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon green chili, sliced
• 1-inch pandan leaf 
• 1 tablespoon curry leaves 
• 2 1/2 cups red onion, sliced 
• 1 tablespoon Maldive fish pieces 
• 1 teaspoon tamarind 
• 3/4 – 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar 

Let’s make it: 

1. Add coconut oil to a dry pan and heat for about a minute on high heat. 
2. Add mustard seeds and when it’s cracking, add garlic, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon and sauté for about another minute or minutes and a half on medium heat. 
3. When the mixture is golden brown, add turmeric, chili flakes, and chili powder and mix them together. 
4. When you smell the spices, in about a couple of seconds, add green chili, Landon leaf, curry leaves, and onion and mix again until everything combines together. 
5. Then, add Maldive fish pieces and tamarind dissolved in about 2 tablespoons of water and add to the mixture.  
6. Add salt and cover the pot with a lid and cook for about 8 minutes on low heat. 
7. Add sugar and cook for another 2 minutes and turn off the flame. 
8. Cool the mixture for 5 – 10 minutes and serve with rice, milk rice, string hoppers, hoppers, bread, roti, or as a filling in buns or imbul.

Tips for you: 

• Make sure to stir the mixture in between cooking to prevent burning. 
• Can store this seeni sambol in the same pot overnight at room temperature and it becomes tastier the next day. 
• Store this in the fridge for about a week, but use a dry spoon for serving. I bet it won’t last this long.