• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Ramona's Cuisine logo
  • BBQ & Grill
  • Main Course
  • Breakfast
  • Side Dishes
  • About me
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Main Course
  • Breakfast
  • Side dishes
  • Soup
  • About me
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Main Course
  • Breakfast
  • Side dishes
  • Soup
  • About me
×
Home » Gluten Free

Coconut Sambal With Red Chilli

Modified: Dec 27, 2021 · Published: Mar 3, 2020 · by Ramona

Jump to Recipe
Coconut sambal with red chilli
Coconut sambal with red chilli

 I did promise the coconut sambal recipe will come up soon so here it is!

This coconut and red chilli sambal is a regular in our house, my husband it’s the expert or even the master to rank him correctly, at making it and I’m a champion at eating it. He often finds it too spicy 😉 since I never fail to interfere and demand for more red chillies to be added. Lol. I do love it spicy! Wow!

It’s truly unbelievable, especially when made hot, hot, hot! The beauty of it its that you choose how hot you want to make it.

Coconut sambal is a very popular side dish in Sri Lanka and in South India.


The ingredients needed in this recipe are easy to find ingredients and these are:

  • • fresh coconut that needs shredding, grating or scraping
  • • shallots
  • • red chillies (dry) toasted for best flavour
  • • salt
  • • lemon or lime
  • • black pepper freshly ground
  • • fresh curry leaves (a must for the best possible flavour)

How many chillies ...

The number of red chillies will clearly dictate the level of spiciness so go with what you’re comfortable with. Everyone knows their heat threshold. I believe mine it’s somewhere quite high up there to something like 15 red chillies. Did you say unusual? Oh yes! I am unusual I know, since even my own Sri Lankan husband cannot take that many chillies. 😉

This coconut and red chilli sambal goes well with idli, dosa, appam (Sri-Lankan hoppers), any roti or a nice slice or two of fresh homemade bread. I also love it as a side to any curry whether that’s a vegan, vegetarian or a meat curry like this delicious lamb curry. I will be right to say that this sambal is such a versatile dish. Right?

I would have this easily every day, the only hold up it's the actual onions in it. They are the real hold up really. Onions are what is holding me back, otherwise, it’d be on my plate with every single meal. Truth! That’s how much I love this coconut sambal.

Variations ...

This sambal can be made with fresh green or red chillies but to me, the red dry and toasted chillies have the best flavour and subtleness, hence my choice to share this particular version.

I call it a spicy lip-smacking treat and anyone who enjoys coconut, spice and spicy would absolutely and utterly LOVE this sambal.

It’s one of those dishes that you can take to a picnic, to a potluck party, great with barbecue or any meal to enjoy with family and friends.

The beauty of it is that the spiciness level can be adjusted according to everybody’s threshold so it can be made from very mild to super spicy (just like I like it ???). It’s one of those dishes that awakens all the senses and takes you to cloud 11 ( just two levels above cloud 9 or even above that). So, so tasty, refreshing and super healthy! Definitely, a must-try.

Eat this coconut sambal and this sardines dish and you’ll never catch or get a cold or a flu ? again. Your immune system will be at its highest it can ever be, seriously.

Let’s do some grinding, scraping, some mixing and a bit of squeezing then, shall we?

Shallots and shredded coconut for sambal
Coconut sambal with red chilli

Coconut sambal with red chilli

This coconut sambal contains really nice and healthy ingredients like fresh coconut, lemon, shallots, red chilli and fresh curry leaves making it such a flavoursome side dish. Delicious!
5 from 47 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: Asian, Ramona's Cuisine, Sri Lankan
Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 66kcal
Author: Ramona Sebastian
Cost: £1.50

Equipment

  • mortar and pestle
  • coconut scraper/ grater
  • chopping board
  • knife
  • bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 coconut fresh, shredded/scraped or grated
  • 1 lemon or 2 limes
  • 4-15 red chillies dry and toasted
  • 1 Salt
  • Pepper
  • 4 shallots
  • 1 handful of curry leaves fresh
Metric - US Imperial

Instructions

  • Shred the coconut and the best tool it’s using a coconut shredder but if you don't have that you can grate it on the small grater or use a food processor to get it to a gritty couscous size and texture.
  • Toast the red chillies for 1-2 min tossing them in a pan over medium heat. I do not add any oil but feel free to do so if you wish.
  • Whizz the toasted chillies into a food processor. These should be done separately while nice and dry so they don’t get moist with the other ingredients.
  • Peel and chop the shallots roughy and add together with the curry leaves to the toasted whizzed already red chillies in the food processor. Give these a good whizz until they get to a gritty texture and the size of a fine couscous.
  • Into a larger bowl bring all the ingredients together and mix well, add the lemon juice, the salt and some freshly ground pepper to taste. Some add sugar, 1 teaspoon or so, but I never do. I do not find that necessary.

Notes

  • dry red chillies can also be replaced with red chilli flakes or even fresh chillies - don’t forget to toast these too ;-)!
  • shallots can be replaced with red onion or regular brown or yellow onion; shallots are the best if you can get them as they are a lot tastier.
  • curry leaves are not so easy to find in general supermarkets but if you have any Asian store around, these will surely be sold there. You may be able to find the dry ones but they are nothing like the fresh ones so if you cannot find them at all use parsley or coriander (cilantro). 

Nutrition

Calories: 66kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 161mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ramonas.cuisine or tag #ramonascuisine!

Other Recipes:

  • Chicken liver pate in a terracotta color dish topped with cooled butter, peppercorns and fresh herbs.
    Easy Chicken Liver Parfait (ready in 25 min)
  • Cucumber roll slices on white plates with mixed sesame seeds sprinkled on top.
    Cucumber Rolls
  • Yoghurt mint sauce in a green serving bowl and spices sprinkled over.
    Yogurt Mint Sauce
  • Roasted red bell pepper sauce on a wooden board.
    Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Harbinder says

    July 26, 2021 at 5:45 pm

    Will definitely be making this! Can frozen curry leaves be used for this recipe?
    Also, if made with fresh leaves, can this be kept in the fridge and if yes, for how long?
    Many thanks

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      July 26, 2021 at 7:47 pm

      Hi Harbinder,
      Thank you so much for stopping by!
      Yes, you may use frozen curry leaves but I would say try and get some fresh ones as they will make this coconut sambal 10 times better. For some reason, dried or frozen curry leaves, sadly, lose all that amazing flavour.
      Yes, you may keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. In our house, it never lasts that long but sometimes we make double the portion and freeze it. It freezes really well too.
      Let me know how you liked it! 😉

      Reply
  2. ashok says

    July 14, 2021 at 3:28 am

    5 stars
    Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.

    Reply
  3. Audrey says

    January 25, 2021 at 5:47 pm

    5 stars
    I love the flavors in this recipe!

    Reply
  4. Fiona Maclean says

    March 14, 2020 at 5:33 am

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for sharing - this is a dish I really enjoyed in Sri Lanka but didn't get a chance to try!

    Reply
  5. Jere Cassidy says

    March 11, 2020 at 12:14 am

    5 stars
    I am impressed with 15 red chilis. Sounds like my dad. I have never made a dish where I actually grated fresh coconut and i want to try it. I may only use 10 chilis though!!

    Reply
  6. Jacque Hastert says

    March 09, 2020 at 1:57 pm

    5 stars
    What a great idea for a delicious dish! I can't wait to give this a try!

    Reply
  7. Alexis says

    March 09, 2020 at 10:15 am

    5 stars
    We are the opposite, my husband would love this as spicy as possible. I'll try to make this for him this week as a treat, he'll love it.

    Reply
  8. Marta says

    March 09, 2020 at 10:03 am

    5 stars
    I love the uses of the sambal and the curry leaves in this recipe. I need to head to my Asian market and pick some up.

    Reply
  9. April says

    March 09, 2020 at 9:41 am

    5 stars
    Okay now this is different and delicious! I would love to try this with chicken. I'm starting a new diet this week and I'm adding this to my meal plan! I can't wait to try it!

    Reply
  10. Jacqui DeBono says

    March 08, 2020 at 2:58 pm

    5 stars
    I could just smell this recipe and all it's lovely ingredients! Love the idea of using with seafood!

    Reply
  11. Sondra Barker says

    March 07, 2020 at 8:23 pm

    5 stars
    Wow this recipe sounds so interesting. I would love to try this out sometime soon!

    Reply
  12. Stine Mari says

    March 07, 2020 at 1:44 am

    5 stars
    That definitely looks like my kind of thing. So much flavor and texture from the coconut.

    Reply
    • Nicole says

      March 10, 2020 at 3:08 am

      5 stars
      I love trying new cuisines from around the world like this. It looks fantastic!

      Reply
  13. Amy Liu Dong says

    March 06, 2020 at 5:05 am

    5 stars
    This Coconut sambal with red chilli recipe sounds new to my ear. I have never tried to make this dish nor tasting it but it looks really delicious, will definitely try this at home.

    Reply
  14. Lesli Schwartz says

    March 05, 2020 at 4:58 pm

    5 stars
    Love coconut, love sambal oelek, what could be better? Looking forward to making this and using on top of seafood!

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      March 10, 2020 at 6:45 am

      Thanks Lesli, a great idea to top the seafood with this coconut sambal- yumm.

      Reply
  15. mydeliciousmeals says

    March 05, 2020 at 1:43 pm

    5 stars
    Have never tried anything like this, thanks for the idea. It's vice versa in our family, my husband likes everything more spicy than I do, I'm sure he'll like this side dish.

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      March 10, 2020 at 6:47 am

      thank you dear Alena, let me know if you make it and if hubby liked it. You can make some for you and add less chilli 😉

      Reply
5 from 47 votes (32 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hey, I'm Ramona and I ♥ making healthy living easy and more delicious!! I am a full-time mother, I work and I am also a busy volunteer.

More about me →

Seasonal Recipes

  • Wild garlic and nettles soup with cream swirls and red chilli flakes sprinkled on top on a marbled worktop
    Luscious Wild Garlic and Nettle Soup
  • Delicious Rainbow Trout With Potatoes And Garlic
    Rainbow Trout With Potatoes And Spring Garlic
  • Rhubarb and gin jam in a glass jar.
    Rhubarb and Gin Jam
  • Three whole mango pancakes and two halves arranged nicely on a black ceramic serving plate with powdered sugar.
    Mango Pancakes (Hong Kong style)
  • Lentil bread on a wooden chopping board
    Healthy Lentil Bread (Flourless)
  • Spanish tortilla on a white plate, tomato salad on a white plate on the right mixed olives on top and toasted bread slices on smaller plate on the left
    Easy Spanish Omelette (Spanish Tortilla)

Popular Recipes

  • Beef casserole in an oval orange cast iron dish
    Beef Casserole
  • Birdsview Monkfish curry garnished with two slices of fresh lemon and fresh herbs served in a blue soup bowl
    Delicious Monkfish Curry
  • Sour cream sauce in red ceramic serving bowl with scallions, red pepper, and a dash of Cayenne pepper sprinkled over.
    Sour Cream Sauce (Ready in 10 minutes)
  • Healthy homemade mayonnaise in a blue bowl with a silver spoon
    Healthy Homemade Mayonnaise
  • Easy creamy gnocchi mascarpone with asparagus recipe.
    Easy Gnocchi Mascarpone with Asparagus
  • Subway Chocolate Chip Cookies
    Subway Cookies Recipe

Footer

↑ back to top

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Copyright © 2022 Ramona's Cuisine

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.