About this component
The fiery, funky chili relish at the heart of the Indonesian meal — chiles and toasted shrimp paste pounded to a rough, savory heat. Sambal is not one recipe but a whole family; this is among the most beloved.
Component facts
- Yield
- About 1 cup (240 ml)
- Prep
- 20 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
- 12–15 red chiles, mixed hot and mild
- 4 shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp (5 g) shrimp paste (terasi), toasted
- 1 tbsp (15 g) palm sugar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lime juice
- 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) oil
Method
- Toast the terasi in foil or a dry pan until fragrant.
- Fry or char the chiles, shallots and garlic until softened.
- Pound everything with salt, palm sugar and toasted terasi to a coarse paste.
- Fry the paste in oil over medium heat 5–7 minutes until darkened and fragrant.
- Finish with lime juice off the heat.
Notes from the book
- Balancing
- Heat forward, grounded by savory terasi and rounded with palm sugar and lime.
- Substitutions
- Omit terasi and add extra salt + a little miso for a lighter, shellfish-free sambal (flavor differs).
- Storage and food safety
- Refrigerate under a film of oil up to 2 weeks. Contains shellfish (shrimp paste).
Pairs with in this book
Grilled fish, rice & vegetables.
The Complete Edition
Sambal Terasi (Shrimp Paste Sambal) 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.