Ingredients
The following ingredients have 4 Servings
- 100 gr red chilies (you can use dried or fresh chilies)
- 4 Thai red chili (for extra spiciness, optional)
- 1 large purple onion (quartered)
- 5 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 1 stalk lemongrass (white parts only, cut into large chunks)
- 20 gr dried anchovies
- 30 gr dried shrimp
- 1/2 cup cooking oil
- 20 gr belacan (or substitute with wet shrimp paste)
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- 80 gr coconut sugar (or more to taste. You can use brown sugar or white sugar too)
- 1/2 tsp salt (or more to tastse)
Instruction
- If using dried chili, soak them in warm water until soft. Soak the dried shrimp in warm water until soft
- Pan fry the dried anchovies in 1 tsp of oil until crispy. Remove and set aside
- If you use dry belacan/terasi block, cut into smaller pieces and dry roast it on a dry pan for about 5 minutes until fragrant
- Place the chilies, onion, garlic, lemongrass, pan-fried anchovies, dried shrimp, and oil in a food processor and process into a fine paste
- Pour this into a pan and stir fry until the chili mixture for about 5 minutes. Add the seasoning and continue to stir fry for another 10-15 minutes until the oil starts to separate. The longer you cook, the longer they'll keep
- Have a taste and adjust to your taste by adding more coconut sugar as needed. The sambal is more on the sweet side. Let it cools down completely. Transfer to a glass container and they can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or portion them out into silicone ice cube trays and freeze them for one hour then transfer to a freezer bag. You can get one out and thaw in the fridge overnight before planning to use them
