Malaysian Nasi Lemak Sambal

4.9 from 14 reviews

Author: Anita Jacobson

Categories: Sauce

Cuisines: Malaysian

Ingredients: Vegetables

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins

Total Time: 1 hour 45 mins

Serves: 3 cups

Ingredients

• 100 gram dried red chilies, seeded (*)
• 200 gram onion, diced
• 25 gram garlic
• 3 candlenuts / 6 macadamia
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup oil
• 15 gram tamarind
• 200 gram onion, diced
• 25 gram shrimp paste (Indonesian: terasi, Malaysian: belacan), toasted
• 50 gram palm sugar, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
• 5 kaffir lime leaves, remove the ribs (optional)

Instructions

1. Boil chilies in a small sauce pot with water. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until chilies are soft. Drained
2. Puree boiled chilies, 200 gram onion, garlic, candelnuts/macadamia, and water in a blender until smooth.
3. Transfer blended chili mixture into a wok or a large frying pan. Cook on medium heat until the chili mixture turns into a thick paste.
4. Add oil and tomato paste (if using, see *) to the wok/frying pan, stir to mix well. Add tamarind, and stir again. Continue cooking for 30 minutes, stirring every so often.
5. Add the remaining 200 gram onion, toasted shrimp paste, palm sugar, and salt. Cook and stir for another 30 minutes, or until the chili sauce is dark red, and the oil separates from the chili mixture.
6. Adjust the amount of sugar and salt to suit your taste. Once you are satisfied with the taste, add the kaffir lime leaves, and stir for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat, and transfer the chili sauce into clean jar(s). If you use sterilized glass jars for canning and store the unopened jars in the fridge, they can easily last for 2-3 months.

Notes

• (*) We prefer a much milder sambal in our home, so I typically use only 20 gram of chilies. And to boost the red color, I add 1 can (6 oz / 170 gram) tomato paste, which makes it even milder and should be very kid friendly.