Sri Lankan cuisine is extremely rich in taste with a range of delicacies including vegan curries, seafood curries, meat curries along with many side dishes. These side dishes always serve as a relish along with the main meal and it is one of the major components of Sri Lankan cuisine. The addition of several side dishes makes Sri Lankan meals incredibly colorful. The main dishes range from yellow to deep brown in color and side dishes vary from greenish to brightly red-colored sambals and pickles.
The combination of different food types and side dishes in the Sri Lankan meal considers one of the healthiest ways of eating in the world. As a tropical island with an abundance of many kinds of vegetables, the meals contain varieties of main vegan dishes as well as side dishes.
What are side dishes?
There is a wide range of side dishes available in Sri Lankan cuisine. Mostly, these side dishes include pickled vegetables, sambals, green leaves, and fresh vegetable salads.
In previous posts, we bought you the details about the best Sri Lankan delicacies, savory rice dishes, and vegan curry dishes. Here we are going to show you the favorite mouth-watering side dishes in Sri Lankan cuisine. They are too good to miss and hope everybody will taste these side dishes during your trip to Sri Lanka.
1. Coconut Sambol (Pol Sambol)
Pol Sambol is an iconic Sri Lankan delicacy and a must-try side dish in the country. It has a nice appetizing taste with a spicy flavor. It made from freshly scraped coconut and mixes with a hearty dose of chilies and onions, finally adding a pinch of lime juice. The rice and curry meal isn’t complete without the spicy Pol sambol to add an extra taste to the meal.
Pol sambol is one of the most common dishes in Sri Lankan households, including breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It goes well with any of the main courses and serves with rice, string hoppers, bread, or roti. Make sure to enjoy a freshly made Pol sambol during your stay in Sri Lanka, and you won’t forget its nice taste.
2. Chili paste (Katta Sambol/Lunu Miris)
Sri Lankan Chili paste or Lunu Miris is a relish made with onions, red chilies, and salt. All the ingredients add to a mortar and pestle and crushed well. Finally, a bit of lime juice added to enhance the taste. Sometimes, Maldives Fish add to make this spicy chili paste. Since sugar isn’t mixed with Lunu miris, it is the spiciest side dish you’ll find in Sri Lanka. Lunu miris is the perfect spicy condiment for many main courses including milk rice, coconut roti, and hoppers.
Although Lunu miris is a hot condiment, most people love it. Some people use another kind of chili call as “Nai Miris” or Cobra chili to make Lunu miris. It is the spiciest food you’ll ever find in the country. You may get a burnt in your tongue if you are unfamiliar with spicy food. These chilies are so delicious and tasting it will be a marvelous experience for spicy food lovers. Nai Miris Sambol with freshly prepared coconut roti or hoppers is a favorite combination of Sri Lankans and it will be a truly authentic experience you can get in the country.
3. Onion Fry (Seeni Sambol)
Onion fry or Seeni sambol is one of the delicious and popular side dishes in Sri Lanka. The deep-fried onions mixed with chili flakes, salt, and sugar to make the Seeni sambol. The sweetness from the caramelized onions and sugar is perfectly balanced with chili and spices to give a combination of sweet, spicy, and sour tastes. This caramelized onion relish is very often prepared in Sri Lankan households. It is a delicacy to add to many traditional Sri Lankan dishes such as Lamprais, Hoppers, String hoppers, Milk rice, or even plain rice.
Several tastes in a one-dish make it a wonderful accompaniment for other food. It is also used to stuff the filling of sandwiches, buns, or samosa. Sri Lankans widely use it in breakfast as a great companion with bread. Seeni sambol remains at room temperature even for a few days without spoiling because the onions are deep-fried. Many Sri Lankans prefer it as picnic food along with bread.
4. Sprats Fry (Halmasso Baduma)
The stir-fried Sprats or Halmasso Baduma is a delicious side dish in Sri Lankan cuisine. The preparation of crispy fried sprats is very easy. It is a common, favorite side dish among both kids and adults. The fried sprats mixed with chili flakes and tempered with onions to make this delicacy. It has a unique, slightly spicy taste that goes well with white rice. It is one of the best, nutritious dried fish dishes in the country.
5. Brinjal Pickle (Wambatu Moju)
Wambatu moju is one of Sri Lanka‘s most delicious side dishes, candied and delicious. It is one of the delicacies prefer by both adults and kids. First, eggplants deep-fried until it becomes tender. Then it cooks with spices, sugar, and vinegar. The important point is adding sugar and combining it with the curry to give a sweet taste. It has a balanced taste between sweet and sour, not too sweet nor too spicy.
This dish can keep at room temperature for a few days without spoiling. The flavor develops with time and the sour taste from vinegar and the slight sweetness from the sugar is a brilliant combination. Wambatu moju is one of the most delicious side dishes in Sri Lanka, and remember to state it while touring the island. Taste it with a hearty plate of white rice and curry. It’s sure you are going to love it and you may even try to make this delicacy at your home.
6. Vegetable Pickle (Sinhala Achcharu)
Vegetable pickles known as Sinhala achcharu is a delicious side dish in Sri Lankan cuisine. This is one of the authentic side dishes available in the country for a long time. Since it has an intense spicy flavor, achcharu is a perfect accompaniment for the meals. A tiny portion of Achcharu is enough to taste a hearty plate of rice.
Small pieces of vegetables, red onions, green chili pods along with vinegar, and spices used to make Sinhala Achcharu. The vegetables in this pickle can vary, while it ranges from carrots, beans, cabbage to papaya, but the small red onions and green chilies must be there. A special spice mixture added to make Achcharu and vinegar is the main ingredient that drives the fermentation. Need to be careful not to mix any water during the process of Achcharu making. Within 3-4 days, fermentation takes place and the delicious achcharu can be tasted.
This pickle will remain without spoiling for even several weeks. Tasting Sri Lankan Achcharu or Pickle will be a very soothing and satisfying experience for you. If you like to bring some Achcharu to your home, you can buy bottled pickles from any of the supermarkets.
7. Young Jackfruit Pickle (Polos Achcharu)
Jackfruit and young jackfruit are the most prominent foods that have ever been served in Sri Lankan households. The tender Jack fruit curry has tempted the taste buds of many locals and foreigners who try Sri Lankan cuisine. As well, young Jackfruit used to make a delicious pickle called Polos Achcharu. Small cubes of boiled young Jackfruit, red onions, green chili pods along with spices used to make Polos Achcharu. As same as Sinhala Achcharu, Vinegar is the main ingredient that drives fermentation. It is a delicious pickle authentic to Sri Lankan cuisine.
8. Lime Pickle (Lunu Dehi)
Salted and dried Lime called Lime pickle is a favorite condiment that has been served for a long time in Sri Lankan meals. It is a method of preserving Limes, to use them out of the season. During the Lime plucking season, its prices go down and many people buy them to make the Lime Pickle. It is usually delicious with salty, sour, and spicy flavors and can keep at room temperature for a long time without spoiling.
Fresh Limes are drying with salt and spices to make Lime Pickle. The amount of chili in the pickle can be varied according to personal choice. The Lime pickle-making process requires plenty of time for the perfect drying. It should be set aside for at least 2 weeks to allow the flavors to develop. This fermentation time is very important to come out of the Lime pickle just right. One small piece of Lime Pickle is enough to taste a hearty plate of white rice. Some people add it to Coconut sambol to enhance the taste.
9. Mango Chutney
Sweet and spicy mango chutney is one of the really tasteful side dishes in the country. It is a method of conserving mangoes to use in out of the season. Unripe or half-ripe mangoes used to make the mango chutney. Spices along with plenty of sugar added to make this delightful condiment. Sri Lankans love this mango chutney, as it is a mixture of different tastes including sweet, mildly hot & spicy. This refreshing side dish is a nice addition to the meal and can be enjoyed along with other Sri Lankan curry dishes.
10. Malay Pickle
Malay pickle known as Malay achcharu is a popular side dish in Sri Lanka. This sweet, sour, and spicy condiment originated in Sri Lanka’s Malaysian community. Now, it is one of the key side dishes at wedding buffets and other feasts. It is made by pickling red onions and green chilies in a mixture of vinegar. Dates added to make this pickle sweet and vinegar drive the fermentation. This desiring pickle often serves as an accompaniment to the rice along with other curries.
11. Green Leaves (Mallum)
Sri Lankan meal isn’t complete if there isn’t any side dish with greens. You’ll always find a vibrant green color dish made from green leaves call as Mallun in every Sri Lankan meal. Mallum is a fresh dish made from newly plucked green leaves with freshly grated coconut. There is a number of green leaf varieties which use for Mallun and most of them are traditional Sri Lankan medicinal herbs. The green leaves used for mallum have all got different medicinal values and have lots of health benefits for your skin and immune system.
Most of the Mallun dishes prepared by cooking lightly since its nutritional value diminishes to a greater extent by heating in high flame. And also fresh green mallum is widely popular in Sri Lankan meals. One of the favorite fresh Mallun in Sri Lanka is Asian Pennywort or Gotukola. Gotukola is a small green plant that grows in abundance in the country. it made from finely shredded fresh Gotukola and freshly grated coconut. Chopped onions, green chilies, a pinch of salt, pepper powder, and also a pinch of lime juice added to make this delicious Gotukola Sambol. Once they well mixed, it looks very colorful and adds colors along with nutrients to the meal.
12. Papadam
Papadam is an essential part of the Sri Lankan meal. It always serves as a side dish along with the meal. Papadam is made with lentil, gram, or chickpea flour that is baked into thin cracker bread. It is deep-fried in oil and it gets crispy while frying. There are several varieties of Papadam including spicy masala papadam, containing black pepper, chili, cumin, and garlic. Papadams are quite popular throughout the country and especially kids love them.
To sum up, we have shown the delicious side dishes available in Sri Lankan cuisine that you can taste along with other curries. These side dishes are always used as appetizers to enhance the taste of meals and be sure to taste them while enjoying Sri Lankan food. Each side dish has its own taste and you can discover new flavors you never tasted before. Happy Sri Lankan meal to everybody!
Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka. Images from Wikimedia Commons, Pinterest, Islandsmile, Allceylon.lk, and Timeout. All copyrights are reserved by the original authors.
