We embark on a delicious education through condiments every time we visit Sri Lanka. There is this thing about Sri Lankan condiments: they seem familiar, and yet utterly new.
Pol sambol might remind us of a chammanthi, but it’s also distinctly different – loaded with other flavours, and unique in its coarse complexity. Achcharu sounds like Lankan for achaar, but this side dish in fact originates from the Malay community in the teardrop nation, so it looks and tastes very little like our traditional pickles. Lunumiris is literally ‘salt and chillies’ in Sinhalese. The lunu finds its roots from the Sanskrit word lavana – also possibly the origin of the Sindhi word for salt, loonh – and miris, meaning pepper or chillies, sounds so much like Hindi’s ‘miri’. Lunumiris, with its shallots, lime, and Maldivian fish, is so much greater than the two ingredients in its name.
When we met Michelin-starred chef Rishi Naleendra in Bombay six weeks ago, we got him to tell us about his favourite condiments from his home country, and his favourite ways to have them.
1. Pol sambol
Made with: freshly grated coconut, spicy dried red chillies, fish flakes, lime, sugar, and salt
Rishi says: This is one of my absolute favourite things to have, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It has freshness from the coconut, spiciness from the chillies, and the fish flakes add some umami as well. When friends come over, I turn it into a salad with cherry tomatoes and coriander.
2. Seeni sambol
Made with: lots of onions, warm spices, chillies, tamarind, sugar
Rishi says: I like to eat this on white bread with butter and loads of sambol. It’s sweet, caramelly, and spicy. The tamarind gives it an acidity that is not as sharp as that of pol sambol. If I feel like it, I add a slice of cheese and make a sambol toastie.
3. Lunumiris
Made with: salt, dried red chillies, Maldivian fish, shallots (or onions), curry leaves, salt – all crushed together
Rishi says: I love a breakfast of kiribath with lunumiris. Kiribath is rich and heavy and the lunumiris cuts through the richness. I also love to eat pol roti with butter and lunumiris. This stuff is like crack, it’s so addictive.
4. Achcharu
Made with: Vegetables or fruits pickled with Sinhala spices, resulting in a dish that’s salty, spicy, sweet, and sour.
Rishi says: In Sri Lanka you find pushcarts selling achcharu. They can be made with veralu (Ceylon olive), green mango, pineapple, wood apple… anything they can get their hands on. Sri Lankans love acidity and spice, so for us it’s a snack. I love sitting down and eating some achcharu by the beach with a beer. When I first moved to Australia, I would cut up a green apple, sprinkle it with chilli powder and salt and eat it.
5. Wambatu moju
Made with: fried skin-on brinjal strips, shallots, green chillies, sugar, coconut vinegar
Rishi says: Wambutu moju is a little sweeter than it is spicy; the green chillies, shallots, and coconut vinegar give it a nice balance. I like to have with Sri Lankan yellow rice (flavoured with with turmeric, lemongrass, pandan, peppercorn, caramelised onions, curry leaves, and butter), a Sri Lankan curry of crab or chicken or yellow potatoes, and a salad, followed by a nice nap after this long lunch. This is a very nostalgic meal for me. We would eat this [curry-rice meal] on Sundays, and wambatu moju was always there.
