About this component
The plainest and most versatile sambal — just chiles, salt and a little sour, pounded fresh. It is the building block from which countless other sambals and dishes begin.
Component facts
- Yield
- About 3/4 cup (180 ml)
- Prep
- 10 minutes
- Heat
- Hot
Development draft. This is an untested development recipe from the cookbook project. It has not been kitchen-tested, and the quantities and timings are the author’s working draft rather than a verified result.
Ingredients
- 15 red chiles, stemmed
- 1 tsp (6 g) salt
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lime juice or vinegar
- 1 tsp (4 g) sugar (optional)
Method
- Briefly blanch or char the chiles to soften (optional).
- Pound the chiles with salt to a coarse paste in a mortar.
- Work in lime juice and sugar if using.
- Use fresh, or fry briefly in oil to mellow and preserve.
Notes from the book
- Balancing
- Clean, direct heat; keep it coarse for texture.
- Substitutions
- Any fresh red chile; adjust heat by variety.
- Storage and food safety
- Refrigerate up to 1 week raw, or 2–3 weeks if fried in oil.
The Complete Edition
Sambal Oelek (Fresh Chili Paste) sits in the foundations
The book carries this component alongside the other twenty-three, the twenty-seven pantry studies, and the Indonesia chapter it belongs to.
In review with Amazon KDP
Both editions have been submitted to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and are currently in review. Submitted prices are $9.99 for the kindle edition and $49.99 for the paperback. Neither is on sale yet, and prices are as submitted rather than final.