Spicy Sri Lankan Food

Living in Canada, what I miss most about Sri Lanka is the food. Sri Lankan cuisine is a big part of Sri Lanka’s identity.

As I may have already mentioned, Sri Lanka is a country full of spices. Cinnamon, Red Chili, Black Pepper, Cloves, Cardamoms, Coriander, Turmeric, Fenugreek, Nutmeg, Mustard Seeds, and Cumin are some of the most popular spices in Sri Lanka. Yes, you guessed right. So, Sri Lankans use a number of spices in making their food. 

Image Source: Mihikatha Foods

The Sri Lankan dish that I miss most here in Canada is Coconut Sambol which is popularly known as Pol Sambol among Sri Lankans. 

Image Source: Great British Chefs

Coconut is also an integral part of Sri Lankan cuisine, which I will tell you about in another story. 

Anyway, obviously as the name suggests, Coconut sambal is made from coconut which you can easily find in anywhere the country.  Grated coconut mixed with Red Chili flakes, onion, salt, and lime is how you make Pol Sambal. Adding some pepper will make it spicier.

Here is a quick video of how to make Coconut Sambal

Pol Sambol is a dish that you can have at any time of the day. Most of the time, Sri Lankans eat rice, string hoppers, and bread with Pol Sambal for the breakfast. But as the staple food in Sri Lanka is rice and curry, you can always have Pol Sambol with rice at lunch as well. And even for dinner, some people have it. And I am one of those people. 

I used to eat Pol Sambol every day so it’s no surprise that I miss it so much. Oh, and pol sambal is the first dish that I tried to make on my own for the first time.

For the 3 months I’ve been here in Canada, I did not come across any similar dish to Pol Sambol. But I can 100% say that Sri Lankan food is way spicier than Canadian food. 

So, if you plan to move to Canada from Sri Lanka or any other country that has a lot of spicy food, you will definitely miss the authentic spicy taste in your food here.

Anyway, would you like your food spicy and hot? I’m curious to know.