Who doesn’t love sambal belacan? Malaysia’s beloved spicy condiment is so easy to make and goes perfectly with almost every meal.
Enjoyed as a dip or used to add piquancy and flavour to stir-fries, this perennial favourite is sure to bring a smile to your lips – as long as you’re not too busy trying to withstand its fierce fieriness!
Ingredients
- 90g fresh red chillies (or 60g red chillies and 30g cili padi for a spicier kick)
- 14g belacan
- 15g sugar
- 15g lime
- 3/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Method
- Remove the stems, and tear or cut the chillies into pieces. Do not remove the seeds.
- Add the chillies and belacan to a mortar. Using a pestle, bruise and crush the mixture until the chilli and most of its seeds have been broken down. You do not want it to be too mushy or overly crushed – some texture is important.
- Add the sugar, lime and salt, and continue stirring with the pestle until it is well mixed.
- You’ll know the sambal is ready when it reaches the texture and consistency below:
Tip
- You may opt to use a food processor, where you can simply mix all the ingredients together and blend. You may, however, want to deseed some chillies for a better visual end result.
This article first appeared in butterkicap.com, a food and culture platform and community that enables anyone to experience Malaysia through stories of its people, food and places.