I’m a little obsessed with seeni sambol, the Sri Lankan traditional accompaniment of caramelized onions, cooked long and dark with tamarind and chili — made vegetarian if you like, but even tastier, I have to say, with some dried Maldive fish simmered in. The perfect accompaniment to an egg hopper — but egg hoppers are actually kind of a pain to make, especially for a party, as you have to cook each one individually and steam them slowly. And they’re not bite-size treats — I wondered how I could introduce my American friends to the glory of seeni sambol at a cocktail party or tea. And thus, we set out on our quest — to create the perfect seeni sambol appetizer.
The first attempt was, I’m sad to say, a failure. I was in a hurry, cooking a lot of things for our holiday party, and so I went for the simplest option available — pre-made wonton shells from the grocery store, filled with seeni sambol. They were…all right, I suppose? The wonton shells felt wrong, though; they were too crispy, and they didn’t meld with the sambol. Adding some cooked egg helped — that was definitely the right flavor the seeni sambol needed to mellow the pungency and make a rich, yummy bite. But I didn’t think the wontons were the right container. I’d have to try something else.
Also, when I tried pre-filling the wontons and refrigerating them, the seeni sambol gave off oil that discolored the wontons and made them a little greasy to pick up. Not ideal. If you really want to go with the wonton option, fill them right before serving.
