In Hindu mythology, all gods have an little animal friend, for transportation and companionship. The moon god Chandra has an antelope, Lord Ganesha sits on a nimble mouse, and the ferocious goddess of divine energy, Shakti (after whom my mother was named), has a roaring tiger. In short, there is a perfect vehicle for everyone, and it is the same with Sri Lankan sambols. For every main dish, I think you can find the ideal sambol to hype it up. Katta sambol, the fieriest of all, is wonderful with today’s fried rice, an addictive mix of chilli, lime, salt and bashed-up onion
Pumpkin curry fried rice and katta sambol
When I was about six, two cousins and my grandmother came to live with us in Britain, fleeing Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war. Between Mum’s punishing schedule of full-time work, a full house of squabbling kids, caring for an elderly person and going to night school, she freestyled a lot of quick, easy dishes that are not strictly traditional. This is one of my favourites, and it’s great for busy cooks: a nutritious bowl of curry (Mum often used leftovers), rice and cashew nuts. The anchovies in the sambol add a rich, briny burst of divine energy, but leave them out if you’d like to make things vegan.
Prep 20 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 2
For the curry
400g pumpkin or butternut squash
2 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil
1 tsp salt, or to taste
½ tsp chilli powder
1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
10 curry leaves
6cm fresh pandan leaf (optional)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 whole cardamom pods, lightly bashed in a mortar
200ml tinned coconut milk
¼ tsp ground coriander
1½ tsp ground turmeric
4cm piece root ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks, to serve
½ lime, to serve
For the katta sambol
150g red onion, peeled and finely diced
1-2 fresh curry leaves, roughly chopped
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 pinch chilli powder
Salt, to taste
20g tinned anchovies, drained and roughly chopped (optional)
Juice of ½ lime
For the fried rice
200g jasmine rice, rinsed
2 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil
2-3 tbsp whole cashew nuts
10 fresh curry leaves
Put the rice in a saucepan with 400ml water, set it over a medium heat and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down to a simmer, cook for 10-11 minutes, then turn off the heat.
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Scoop out the pumpkin seeds, then cut the flesh into 3cm skin-on cubes. Put these on an oven tray and toss with a tablespoon of oil, a teaspoon of salt and a quarter-teaspoon of chilli powder. Roast for 10 minutes, until tender and starting to brown at the edges, then remove and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, bash all the sambol ingredients except the lime juice in a mortar, until chunky and combined. Add the lime, adjust the salt and chilli to taste, then cover and set aside.
For the curry, put a medium-sized wok or saucepan on a medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and, when hot, fry the onion until translucent. Add the curry leaves, pandan, if using, and garlic, stir-fry for about 30 seconds, then add the mustard, cumin and cardamom. Fry, stirring, for up to 60 seconds, taking care that the spices don’t burn, and add a little more oil if need be.
Add the coconut milk, ground coriander, turmeric and remaining quarter-teaspoon of chilli powder, a teaspoon of salt and the roast pumpkin cubes, and cook on a medium-low heat for one to two minutes, so the curry bubbles gently – add a little water if it’s looking a bit thick – then turn off the heat.
For the fried rice, put a wok on a medium-high heat, add the oil and, when hot, add the cashews and stir until they start to change colour. Add the curry leaves, let them crisp up, then add the cooked rice and let it fry a little, stirring occasionally, so the edges go a little crunchy. After a minute or two, stir in the pumpkin curry so the rice gets thoroughly coated.
Serve in bowls topped with the fresh ginger and finished with a squeeze of lime, and with a plump spoonful of katta sambol on the side.
Aubergine, tamarind, chickpea and coconut curry
This dish graces the homes of Sri Lankan Tamil folks from London’s Wembley to Wentworthville in Sydney. It’s traditionally made with deep-fried slices of aubergine, but I think it’s just as good with roasted ones. With sweetness from coconut milk, acidity from tamarind, the creaminess of chickpeas and the silky taste of aubergines, this might be the ultimate aubergine curry.
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4
2 medium aubergines (about 450-500g in total), stalks removed, then cut into 2cm-thick rounds
Salt
2 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil
1 large red onion, peeled and finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
4cm piece root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
15 fresh curry leaves
2 tbsp jaffna curry powder (see below and method)
100g tamarind block, soaked in warm water, or 2½ tbsp tamarind paste
2 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
100ml tinned coconut milk
Plain yoghurt, to serve
Plain white rice, to serve
For the jaffna curry powder
150g coriander seeds
75g cumin seeds
75g black peppercorns
75g fennel seeds
20g fresh curry leaves
350g dried kashmiri chillies
1¼ tsp ground turmeric
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. In a large bowl, mix the aubergine slices with a half-teaspoon of salt anda generous tablespoon of oil, then toss to coat . Arrange the slices on a lined baking tray (or trays), so they are flat next to each other, then bake for 30–45 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Remove and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, make the curry powder. Make sure the windows are open and the extractor is on, because roasting chillies kicks up an intense smell that will carry right through the whole house. Turn down the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Put all the spice seeds on a large baking tray, toast in the oven for five minutes, then tip into a bowl. Turn up the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, then toast the curry leaves and kashmiri chilli on the same tray, until the chilli turns dark and they both smell fragrant. Tip into the same bowl, leave everything to cool, then blitz in a food processor or spice grinder until fine. Tip into a clean jar, and store in a cool, dark place – this makes far more than you need here, but it keeps for a couple of months and works in all sorts: it’s great for currying chicken and adds oomph to dals, too.
Fry the onion in the remaining tablespoon of oil on a medium heat until soft. Add the curry leaves and after 30 seconds, when they are sizzling and bright green, add the garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring for two or three minutes more. Add the tamarind, fenugreek, tomatoes, chickpeas, 120ml water and two tablespoons of the curry powder, cover, turn down the heat to a simmer, and cook for five to six minutes.
Add the roast aubergine, then gently stir in the coconut milk and cook for a final two to three minutes, adding a bit more water if the sauce seems too thick. Serve over plain white rice with a generous spoonful of yoghurt.
