Seeni Sambol or Sri Lankan Caramelized Onion Chutney

Photo by:

Melati Citrawireja

While gathering recipes for our cookbook, we discovered and tested more dishes than we could possibly include. These bonus recipes are straight from the home kitchens of our farm partners: seasonal staples, and heirloom favorites you won’t find anywhere else. For more such recipes, order The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook here!

Seeni sambol is the perfect trifecta of sweet, spicy, and sour—combining the candied depth of caramelized onions and warming spices like green cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon with tamarind, lime, and chili flakes. While it classically calls for Maldives fish, our version uses oil-packed anchovies for funk and salinity. Enjoy with Parippu (recipe in the official book!), add to a grilled cheese, or use in Asha’s No-Knead Chili Focaccia. Adapted by Asha Loupy.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
24 fresh curry leaves
8 Baraka Cardamom pods, lightly crushed
4 whole Kandyan Cloves
1 3-inch Wild Cinnamon Quill, broken in half
1 6-inch fresh pandan leaf, tied in a knot, optional
2 red onions , thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more
2 to 3 teaspoons red chili flakes
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons lime juice (about ½ lime)

Methods

Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, and pandan, if using, and cook until fragrant, 45 seconds to 1½ minutes. Add 12 curry leaves—be careful, these crackle and pop!—and cook until bright green and translucent, 10 to 30 seconds.
Stir in the red onion and fine sea salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and start to brown around the edges, about 12 to 16 minutes.
Add the red chili flakes, tamarind concentrate, anchovy fillets, and the remaining 12 curry leaves and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the tamarind concentrate has coated the onions and the anchovies start to break down, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the2 teaspoons lime juice. Taste and season with more salt or lime juice, if necessary.
Let the sambol sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors marry. If serving more than 2 hours later, refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving and let come back to room temperature.