Gotu Kola Sambol

Gotu kola sambol is Sri Lanka’s answer to salad, made from the peppery, slightly bitter herb that grows in every backyard garden. The leaves are shredded paper-thin and tossed with coconut, onion, chili, and lime, a dish prized as much for its cooling bite as for its old reputation as a tonic for the mind. It is eaten with rice and curry, scooped up in small bites between spoonfuls. Locals will tell you it keeps the memory sharp, which is reason enough to eat it often, and it is at its best in the hot months, when the herb runs rampant.

Fresh, herbal, and cooling between curries

The sambol is bright and bracingly fresh, the gotu kola adding an earthy, celery-like bitterness that the coconut and lime soften. It clears the palate between rich curries and gives the plate a crunchy, green jolt. If you cannot find gotu kola, a mix of watercress and spinach with a few celery leaves gets surprisingly close.

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