Indonesian food series: Sambal recipes (Indonesian spicy chili dips)
There is nothing that brings me back to my time in Indonesia as some fiery sambal! This chili dip is served with basically everything and, if you like spicy food, it pairs perfectly with basicelly everything. In this post, I will show you the sambal recipes that we learned from Chef Hero on our cooking class in Warung Sunny in the beautiful tropical paradise island of Gili Air.
Warung Sunny Cooking Class review: our experience in an Indonesian cooking class in Gili Air
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Post Contents
Indonesian sambal recipes
1. Peanut sauce (sambal kacang)
Peanut sauce is a common condiment for many Indonesian dishes, such as sate ayam or gado-gado. This version includes chili to add a spicy counterpoint to the nutty flavour of the sauce. This is also complemented with the acid of the tamarind juice and the sweetness of the sugar, making it more aromatic.
Peanut sauce ingredients
- Peanuts
- Shallot
- Garlic
- Salt
- Red chili
- Brown/Cane sugar
- Tamarind juice
- Water
Peanut sauce instructions
- Roast or fry peanuts together with shallots, garlic and chili.
- Let them cool down and transfer to a mortar. Grind with the mortar until it becomes a fine paste.
- Add brown sugar, tamarind juice and water until the paste becomes homogeneous and of the desired consistency.
This is used for: sate ayam (chicken skewers with peanut sauce) or gado-gado (Indonesian vegetable salad with peanut sauce).
2. Fried sambal (Sambal oelek or sambal goreng)
Sambal oelek is a basic side sauce that is served basically everywhere in Indonesia with every meal. It is also used to cook some recipes, such as balado. This version of sambal is much hotter and has a more smokey flavour than its counterparts, being a perfect condiment for a main dish of any kind.
Fried sambal ingredients
- Red chili
- Green chili
- Garlic
- Tomato
- Shallot
- (optional) Candlenut
- Shrimp paste
- (optional) tamarind juice
- (optional) rice vinegar/lime juice
- Brown sugar
- Salt
Fried sambal instructions
- Roughly chop chilis, garlic tomato and shallots and stir fry with candlenuts (this step is optional but it helps release all the flavours).
- Let it cool down and grind them in a mortar or food processor.
- Add shrim paste, sugar, salt and any other complements and mix well.
- Fry the paste until fragrant.
3. Raw sambal (Sambal matah)
Sambal matah is a predominantly Balinese sambal that is served with dishes such as meat, fish or other main courses. This version is lighter in flavour than the fried counterpart. It still adds the fiery flavour of the chili, but it gives a more fresh taste due to the lemon juice. It is chopped roughly, so it is less of a sauce and more of a condiment.
Raw sambal ingredients
- Red chili (bird’s eye chili). If you want it to be milder, substitute a few hot chilies for milder chilis.
- Tomato
- Shallot
- Garlic
- Keffir lime leaves
- Lemongrass
- Lime juice
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
Raw sambal instructions
- Roughly chop chilis and tomato.
- Remove the thick center of the keffir lime leaves and thinly slice the soft part.
- Gently fry chopped shallot, garlic and lemongrass until golden brown.
- Toss everything together, including some of the frying oil.
- Gently press the ingredients with a wooden spoon to release the flavours in the oil.
- Add lime juice and adjust taste with salt.
Cooking tip: to make it milder, remove the core and seeds from the chili. If you want to make it spicier, use the whole chili (without the stem) and smash it with the back of the knife before chopping to release the flavour.
4. Coconut sambal (Sambal kelapa)
This is a very simple sambal version that adds grated coconut for a more aromatic and fresh taste. It is less used as main dish accompaniments and more as a condiment to salads or other starters, such as urap-urap.
Coconut sambal ingredients
- Grated coconut
- Salt
- Pepper
- Red chili
Coconut sambal instructions
- This one is easy, just mix all the ingredients and grind them in a mortar or food processor.
Closing statement
Sambal is the perfect condiment for any Indonesian dish or meal. Choose your favourite or offer your guests several options using the recipes in this post! We learned this recipe at our cooking class in Warung Sunny in Gili Air, Indonesia. You can check out our experience in the class here:
Warung Sunny Cooking Class review: our experience in an Indonesian cooking class in Gili Air
If you’re in the Gili islands, you’ll probably find these helpful:
Quick Gili islands guide: a starters kit for paradise seekers in Indonesia
The party Gili: Gili Trawangan
Also, if you’re in Indonesia, have a look at these:
Perfect 3 days itinerary in Ubud, Bali
Hiking Mt. Bromo and Mt. Ijen in Java, Indonesia
Perfect 3-day itinerary in Nusa Penida, Indonesia
What to do in North Sumatra, the secret Indonesia keeps from you
Perfect 10 days Flores itinerary in Indonesia
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