If there was one out of the many things that dear Maudiegirl Von Bloss taught me it was the importance of a ‘rice puller’. You know that little something to make your rice and curry even more interesting. This little Dry Onion Sambol is one of those rice pullers. 

The recipe came about thanks to my dread of having to deal with a potentially bland lunch. When it comes to savoury, my palate recognises delicious only with chilly hot spicy. And when my rice and curry is not to have any kind of hot in it…. one can imagine my panic. 

What I love about this dish is its super simple and can be prepared in advance. It adds a dash of spicy roasted crisp and will definitely encourage you to tuck in to your food. My only advice is to make a little extra of it and store it in jar. 

This little ‘rice puller’ enhances even the tastiest of meals… 

Ingredients 

1 large onion 
2 green chillies 
2 cloves of garlic 
1 tbs of Maldive fish 
1 ½ tsp of chilli flakes 
1 tsp of paprika 
½ tsp of oil 
Salt 
Pepper 
Sage 

Directions 

Wash, clean and fine dice the onion. Peel, wash and mince the garlic. 

Wash and chop the chillies in to sizeable pieces. 

Pour the oil in to a non stick pan, and place the pan on a medium high flame. 

Add the minced garlic to the pan. Cook until the garlic starts to change colour. 

Then add the diced onion to it. Add ½ teaspoon of salt, pepper and a one teaspoon of sage to the onion and stir. 

After the onions have softened, dump the Maldive fish in to it and cook. 

Then add the chilli flakes and the paprika to the onion, and sauté. 

While the onions are cooking, add the green chilli to the onions. 

Lower the flame, and let the onions cook until it has roasted. 

Once the onions have cooked, take it off the heat. 

Disasters, Warnings and Tips 

A spoonful of this sambol is just what your lunch needs! 

I used olive oil, but you can use vegetable oil if you like. 

The wind is a little cray cray these days. Brrrr! 

It’s important to follow these directions meticulously to ensure you get the right balance of flavour. 

Do ensure that you use a minimal amount of oil. It’s a DRY sambol. 

Sage is my latest favourite spice. 

Fish the green chillies out before serving. 

I have been listening to Ariana Grande’s Side to Side, and In to You #OnRepeat. 

TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS by Shazzana Hamid