Mint Sambol (Spicy Mint Salad with Shredded Coconut)

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I wish I could share a seasonal cake orcookie recipe with you. There are seasonal sweets and desserts everywhere andalso in food blogging world. Even though I indulge in all of them by buyingfrom outside, I hardly make anything sweet because we are ‘weight watchers’. IfI make them at home, it’ll be both of us indulging and it will not reflect wellin our scale. So whenever there is craving / tempt we buy small portions. That way ourconsumption is limited to one piece a day. We satisfy our sweet tooth as wellas prevent us from the guilt of over indulgence.

So as usual I’m sticking to a spciy recipefor the season. This time it is mint. Ever since I got to know about this herb,I'm absolutely in love with it. I love mint fragrance, mint tea and mint andlemon infused water and mint in my food. I even started growing them in mybalcony. Mint sambol is very similar to pesto or even chutney. Difference isI’ve used shredded coconut to bind the flavors together; hence it is thicker inconsistency compared to pesto or chutney.

In Malaysia sambol means a sauce made withred chili, garlic, onion and shrimp paste. Often used to season seafood, meator even tofu and also used as a side for Nasi Lemak (Fatty Rice made withcoconut milk) But in Sri Lanka sambol means it’s a spicy salad which usesshredded coconut as main ingredient. Shredded coconut, dry red chilies, onion,garlic and lemon juice is pounded together using Mortar and Pestle. Check outthis link to see the recipe to make Sri Lankan coconut sambol.
Similar method is used to make this mintSambol, but I’ve added roasted coriander seeds and fennel seeds to infuse spicyaroma. Also ginger and garlic gives a spark of flavors to this sambol.
Print recipe hereIngredientsServes 2-3
150g Mint Leaves1 tbsp cumin seeds1 tbsp coriander seeds2 cloves of garlic1 small piece of ginger4-5 green chilies1 tbsp tamarind paste4 tbsp shredded coconut 1 large onionSalt to taste
Method
Dry roast shredded coconut till itsslightly brown and add them to food processor.
Similarly dry roast fennel and corianderseeds till they are aromatic, and add them to food processor.
Now add rest of the ingredients i.e. mintleaves, onion, garlic, ginger, tamarind paste and greed chili to the foodprocessor.
Process for 2-3 minutes till all the ingredientsare finely minced and combined together.
I served this sambol as a side with rice,you can also serve with Biryani, spread it in bread and make sandwiches by filling  cheese, tomato and lettuce or serve with any other main meal that suits your taste buds.

NoteYou may use frozen shredded coconut, justlike me. Since you are roasting it before, there is no change in taste. Itsrecommended to thaw it to room temperature.
Tamarind paste can be replaced by lemonjuice. Tamarind paste gives tanginess to this sambol.
If you wish to grow mint plants, just plantall the remaining stems in a pot. Water them once in two days, and leave it togrow in an area that has sunlight. You will see tiny cute leaves emerging out of thesestems in few days.
Season’s Greetings and Wish you a very Happy New Year 2012!