Pol sambol

Name: Pol sambol
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 200 g coconut, freshly grated; 1½ tsp red chilli flakes; ½ tsp cayenne / chilli powder; 2 shallots, finely chopped; ¾ tsp salt; 1 pinch black pepper; 2 tbsp lime juice

Vegetarian

පොල් සම්බෝල · pol sambōla

Freshly grated coconut pounded with red chilli, shallots, salt and lime into a bright, fiery relish. A staple of Sri Lankan meals from breakfast to dinner.

Pol sambol is a Sri Lankan condiment, ready in about 15 minutes and made with coconut and red chilli flakes. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

A serving of Pol sambol — Photo: Dan arndt / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 0 min
Total: 15 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 193

Ingredients

4 servings

200 g Coconut (opens in a new tab), freshly gratedSwap: Desiccated coconut (Moisten with 3–4 tbsp warm water or coconut milk first.)
1½ tsp (3 g) Red chilli flakes (opens in a new tab)Sri Lankan chilli flakes; use less for a milder sambol.
½ tsp (1 g) Cayenne / chilli powder (opens in a new tab)For colour.
2 (60 g) Shallots (opens in a new tab), finely choppedSwap: Red onion
¾ tsp (4.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
1 pinch (0 g) Black pepper (opens in a new tab)
2 tbsp (30 g) Lime juice (opens in a new tab)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Pound the chilli flakes (opens in a new tab), chilli powder, shallots (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab) together in a mortar until the shallots are crushed and juicy.
- 4 min
- Mortar and pestle (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels
2
Step 2
Add the grated coconut (opens in a new tab) and work it in with the pestle and your fingers until the coconut turns evenly orange-red.
- 5 min
- Grater (opens in a new tab)
3
Step 3
Mix in the lime juice (opens in a new tab), taste and adjust the salt, lime and chilli. Serve the same day.
- 1 min

About this dish

Origin: Sri Lanka · Well documentedMore food from Sri Lanka
Dish: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Side dishes
Cooking method: Raw, No-cook
Taste: spicy (chilli heat), tangy, salty, fresh
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-fibre
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-fibre · Carb-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Budget-friendly · Everyday
Cook more with: Coconut · Red chilli flakes · Cayenne / chilli powder · Shallot · Lime juice

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

193 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 75 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 4%
Carbohydrate 22%
Fat 74%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	193 kcal	258 kcal
Protein	2.2 g	2.9 g
Carbohydrate	11.3 g	15.2 g
Net carbohydrate	6.1 g	8.1 g
Sugars	4.5 g	6.1 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	5.3 g	7.1 g
Fat	16.9 g	22.7 g
Saturated fat	14.9 g	19.9 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	449 mg	601 mg
Salt equivalent	1.1 g	1.5 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 256 mg
Calcium: 15 mg
Iron: 1.5 mg
Magnesium: 21 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 20 µg
Vitamin C: 6 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 20 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Red chilli flakes: Ground cayenne (FDC 170932) used as a stand-in for dried chilli flakes such as pul biber or Aleppo pepper.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Rubbing the mixture with your hands (or briefly pulsing in a food processor) releases the coconut oils and blends the colour.

Common mistakes

Using dry desiccated coconut without moistening it — the sambol is dusty rather than juicy.

Serve with

Serve with rice and curry, hoppers, string hoppers, roti or bread.

Storage

Best the day it is made; keeps 1 day refrigerated.

Variations

Pol sambol with Maldive fish (Sri Lanka): The traditional version pounds in a little dried, cured tuna (Maldive fish), which makes it no longer vegetarian.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Goes with

Parippu

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & DrizzleCompare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Coconut, freshly grated200 g

Used in step 2

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Reviews & corrections

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