Spicy Caramelised Onion Sambol

Name: Spicy Caramelised Onion Sambol
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 4-6
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable or rapeseed oil; 4 green cardamom pods, bruised; 3 cloves, lightly bruised; 10-15 curry leaves; 7.5 cm (3 inch) pandan leaf, halved lengthways; 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced; 1-2 fresh green chillies, sliced horizontally; 1 tsp each ground turmeric, chilli flakes and chilli powder; 1 tbsp Maldive fish chips, crushed into a coarse powder (optional); ¾ tsp salt, or to taste; 2 tbsp light brown sugar or jaggery; 5 large red onions

Preparation info

Serves
4-6

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
35 min

Appears in

Chilli & Mint

By Torie True

Published 2021

About

This deliciously spiced Sri Lankan onion sambol, known as seeni sambol, is always a hit. It involves a lot of stirring, but the effort is worth it. Unlike the British version of onion chutney, which often requires vinegar, this one does not and therefore should be consumed within a week.

Ingredients

5 large red onions
2 tbsp vegetable or rapeseed oil
3

Asia
India
Sri Lanka
Fish course
Side dish
Pescatarian
Spicy
Gluten-free

Method

First, thinly slice the red onions into half-moons using a mandoline or the thin slicer mode on a Magimix food processor.
Heat the oil in a large deep pan, then add the lightly bruised cloves, green cardamom, pandan leaf, curry leaves, green chillies and sliced garlic. Move everything around the pan for a minute to release the aromas before adding the red onion