Carrot + Coconut Sambol

Ingredients

Carrot and coconut sambol
150g carrots- grated
150g fresh coconut- grated
½ onion- very very finely diced
3 green chillies- very very finely diced
1-2 lemons- juiced
3/4 tsp salt or more, to taste
1/2 teaspoon coconut sugar or
jaggery powder

Garnish

Fresh coriander leaves
More fresh grated coconut

Serves

2-4

“If you’ve ever been to Sri Lanka you will know that coconut sambol is served alongside practically everything, and it is abnormally delicious ( a bit like a dry chutney). There are lots of different versions, and I think every household has their own coconut sambol recipe. My aunt shared her recipe with me, for this version, I have added carrots which adds additional nutrition and natural sweetness. ”

What to do:

Grate the carrots and coconut and very, very finely dice the chillies and onion- or if you are feeling lazy, like me, you can also chop up the carrots, coconut, onion and chillies into roughly equal size chunks and put in a mixie jar (this is what I do).
Mix the finely grated carrot, coconut and finely diced chilli and onion together in a bowl (or empty the mixie jar into a bowl if you took that route) and pour in the lemon juice, jaggery or coconut sugar and salt. Now ideally you want to work this mixture with your hands- you want the lemon juice, jaggery and salt to be absorbed by the coconut and carrot.
Make sure to wash your hands before and afterwards! The chilli can sting your eyes and that is a mistake I often make.
The sambol should be a delicious balance of sharp, salty, a hint of sweet (from the carrot and jaggery powder) and rounded from the healthy fats in the coconut. Serve with a sprig of fresh coriander on the top! Once you’ve made this once you’ll be making batches of it every week, it goes with absolutely everything, it’s so tangy yet fresh and delicious.
Serve alongside this coconut dal recipe.

“This tangy sambol pairs perfectly well with my coconut dal, but you can have it on the side of everything – try it with home food, as a garnish for soup, stirred through a side salad of palak leaves with a drizzle of olive oil, or inside a frittata or omelette- anything!”