Lunumiris

A dish of Lunumiris
Type	Sambal
Course	Condiment
Place of origin	Sri Lanka
Main ingredients	Chili and Onions

Lunumiris (Sinhala:ලුණු මිරිස් [lunu-miris] means salt and chillies in Sinhalese. Traditionally it is made with ground chillies and salt mixed together into a paste. Some also refer it as katta sambol, but katta sambol is a different condiment. Katta sambol (Sinhala:කට්ට සම්බෝල [kaṭṭa sambōla]) is a spicy Sri Lankan sambol served as a condiment. It consists of chili pepper, shallots, Maldives fish, sea salt, black pepper and lime juice, usually ground with a mortar and pestle or a grind stone.

This paste is typically a bit spicy because of the chili powder added.

Etymology

The translation of Sinhala word lunumiris loosely translates to salt chili in Sinhala. That is because the original version of lunumiris was made only with chili powder, and salt.

Usage

Usually Kiribath, appam, bread, rice and roti can be eaten with Lunumiris. This can be eaten almost with any food as a side dish.

Ingredients

Lunumiris contains chili pepper, shallots, Maldives fish, sea salt, black pepper and a little bit of lime juice. This can be made vegetarian, without Maldives fish. This type is hot, but wet, and a little bit crispy because of shallots. This should be made with mortar and pestle, or grind stone. This can be made also with hands, but it doesn't give the real taste.^[1]

The original version of this condiment is made only with chili powder, sea salt, and lime juice. That is spicy and balances out with salt and lime. This can be made by hands.