Delicious Homemade Sambal
(How to make delicious sambal belacan)
Sambal Belacan is a red and green chilli paste condiment made from fresh red and green chillies, bird's-eye chillies, dried shrimp paste (also known as belacan), fresh lime juice, fresh garlic, and onions. This delicious sambal belacan is popular and widely used in Southeast Asian cuisines and can be used as a thick dipping sauce for raw vegetables such as cucumbers, winged beans, and other vegetables. They can also be used in certain dishes that call for sambal or in stir-frying to add flavour to dishes such as stir-fried okra, water spinach, fried rice, and others.
Ingredients:
- 5 Fresh Red Chillies
- 2 Fresh Green Chillies
- 4 Fresh Red Bird’s Eye Chillies
- 1 ½ inch-2 inch Shrimp paste/belacan (block) (toasted)
- 2 Cherry Tomatoes (or ⅛ cut any fresh tomatoes)
- 1 Clove Fresh Garlic
- ⅛ Cut Fresh Red Onions
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Granulated White Sugar
- ¼ Cut Fresh Lime
- 2 Tablespoons Water (room temperature,-/+ adjustable)
Instructions:
- Rinse and pat dry all the fresh chillies.Remove the stems and seeds from all of the fresh chillies and cut them into small pieces for blending. Set aside.
- Remove the fresh garlic and red onion peelings. Set them aside after cutting them into chunks.
- Rinse and pat the tomatoes dry. Cut them in half and set them aside.
- Toast (without oil) shrimp paste or belacan for 4-5 minutes on a medium-heated pan. Once they form a slight crust, turn off the heat and transfer them to a plate. Set aside.
- In a food processor, combine all of the cut fresh chillies, garlic, onion, tomatoes, toasted belacan and water. If the water is not enough for smooth blending during the process, you may add a bit of extra water, but not too much. We don’t want a runny paste at the end.
- Blend everything into a paste as shown.
- Open the food processor lid and add the salt, sugar, and lime juice to the blended sambal paste. Put back the lid and pulse for 2-3 times to blend in everything.
- Place the sambal paste in a bowl after it has been blended.
- Now the sambal is ready as a condiment, in stir fry, or in your next cooking recipe that calls for sambal belacan.
- Store them in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for up to a week.
- For longer storage of this homemade sambal, divide them into smaller portions before storing them in the freezer for up to 2 months. Simply thaw them in the refrigerator before using them in your next recipe.
*** © MB CREATIVE KITCHEN, 2021. No part of this site, MBCREATIVEKITCHEN.COM may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of the copyright owner.
Tips & Notes:
- There are two kinds of shrimp paste you can use: paste form and block. Either one is fine, and they can be purchased online or at most Asian grocery stores.
- We used cherry tomatoes, but you can use your favorite kind.
- Start with two tablespoons of water for easy blending. You can add more if necessary. Please note that you don’t want to add too much water. Otherwise, you will end up with a runny sambal. Unless you prefer runny sambal.
- Store this homemade sambal in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
- They last longer when stored in the freezer. Divide them into smaller portions before storing them in the freezer. Each time you want to use them, take them out and thaw them in the fridge overnight.
- This sambal is best used in any stir fry recipes that call for sambal, fried rice, noodles, or just for dipping with vegetables such as cucumbers, okra, green beans, winged beans, etc.
- This sambal uses shrimp paste, also known as belacan. This gives the delicious taste of the sambal. However, if you dislike shrimp paste or belacan, you can still make it without the shrimp paste or belacan. They just are not going to taste the same.
