Sri Lankan Coconut Salad (Gotu Kola Sambol)
This is the perfect accompaniment to a Sri Lankan curry, the fresh zingy flavours work incredibly well with any rich and spicy dish but especially good with the earthiness of beetroot. Gotu kola is in fact Indian pennywort. A herbaceous perennial plant, native to Asia available to buy online however I have substituted it with curly kale. Traditionally this salad is made with fresh coconut, which I often struggle to find in food stores. I’ve used unsweetened desiccated coconut and rehydrated it as an alternative.
You can find the recipe for Sri Lankan Beetroot Curry here
Kale & Coconut Salad (Gotu Kola Sambol)
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 80 g curly kale
- 70 g unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 2 Limes juice of
- 2 shallots finely sliced
- 1 small green chilli finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato de-seeded and finely chopped
Instructions
- Begin by washing the kale, shake off the excess water thoroughly. Remove any woody stems, chop finely. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with a little salt. Massage the salt into the kale. Leave for 20 minutes. Place the coconut in a bowl and pour enough boiling water onto the coconut to cover. Leave to stand for 15 minutes.
- Juice the limes and add to the kale. Deseed the tomato and finely chop. Peel and finely slice the shallot. Deseed and finely chop the green chilli. Add the chopped tomato, shallot and chilli to the massaged kale. Drain the coconut in a sieve, shaking off any excess water. Add this to the kale mixture and stir thoroughly. Check the seasoning. Serve with Beetroot curry.
Tips:
- If using fresh coconut you will need approximately 130g.
- Add a small handful of chopped mint as an alternative.
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