Seeni Sambol Banis – Caramelized Onion Bun

Seeni Sambol Banis – Caramelized Onion Bun (Sri Lanka)

Seeni Sambol Banis are Sri Lankan buns filled with sweet, spiced caramelized onions and a halved boiled egg. Soft, fluffy dough encases a flavorful onion filling with tamarind, coconut milk, and aromatic spices, baked to golden perfection—perfect for a savory snack or breakfast treat.

Makes 10 buns

Ingredients:

For the Seeni Sambol:

• 2 lbs red onions, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup (60ml) vegetable oil
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 cardamom pods, gently pressed under the edge of a knife
• 5 curry leaves
• 3 pandan leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tsp (9.9ml) Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tbsp (14.8ml) tamarind paste
• 2 tbsp (29.6ml) coconut milk
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp (14.8ml) granulated sugar
• ½ tsp (2.5ml) salt

For the Bun Dough:

• 4 cups (500 g) (960ml) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp (9.9ml) instant yeast
• 1 cup (240ml) room temperature water
• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
• 1 tsp (4.9ml) salt
• 1 tsp (4.9ml) sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 1 tbsp (14.8ml) milk

Method:

Make the Seeni Sambol:

Heat the oil, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods in a large skillet over low heat. Add the onions, curry leaves, and pandan leaves and cook, stirring occasionally so that the onions don’t burn, for 1 hour. The onions should be soft and translucent.  Add the salt, Kashmiri chili powder and garlic and continue cooking and stirring for 10 minutes more. Then add the sugar, tamarind paste, coconut milk, and lemon juice and continue cooking for 10 minutes more, or until the liquid has reduced and the mixture has thickened slightly.

Set aside to cool completely before stuffing the buns.

Make the Bun Dough:

Stir the yeast into the water to dissolve.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the water, yeast, and buttermilk and stir to combine. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth.

Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to that bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow to sit at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into 10 equally sized dough balls. Cover the dough balls with plastic wrap or a towel and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.

Make the Hard Boiled Eggs:

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and carefully add 5 eggs to the pot. Cook the eggs for 8 minutes, then immediately transfer them to an ice bath to cool. Carefully peel the eggs and cut them in half.

Make the Buns:

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Working one at a time, roll out a dough ball on a lightly floured work surface to form a circle about 6 inches across. Place 2 tbsp of seeni sambol in the center of the dough and top with half an egg. Bring up the dough around the filling and pinch together. Turn the bun over so the pinched together tough is on the bottom and press gently to seal. Transfer the bun to the parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining buns and filling.

Cover the baking sheet of buns with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rise for about an hour, or until the buns have doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) and mix 1 egg and the milk together in a small bowl.

When the buns have risen, brush them all with the egg wash.

Place the buns in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, turning the baking sheet once.

Transfer the buns to a cooling wrack for 10 minutes and serve warm.