Sambal

For the Indian dish, see Sambar (dish).

Sambal is a condiment used in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka, made from a variety of peppers, although chile peppers are the most common.

Ingredients

The most common kinds of peppers used in Sambal are:

Adyuma - also known as habanero. These are usually yellow and blocky (like a miniature paprika). Very hot.
Cayenne pepper - These are usually red and blocky (see above). Very hot! There are, however a number of similar looking peppers which are much milder. These can be recognized by their shiny(ier) appearance.
Madame Jeanette - Yellow or light green elongated kind of pepper. They have a bit of an irregular shape. These are hot and very aromatic
Cabe Rawit - Elongated and tiny. These are red or green and very hot. Cabe is pronounced as "chabeh".
Spanish peppers (chile peppers) or Lombok (Javanese) - These are elongated and have a red or green colour. These are relatively mild, the green ones being milder than the red ones.

Variants

Sambal is thicker and richer tasting than Mexican salsa. It ranges in hotness from mildly sharp to incendiary. There are a number of varieties, including:

Sambal Asam: This is similar to Sambal Trassi with an addition of asam tamarind concentrate.

Sambal Bajak: Chile (or another kind of red peppers) fried with oil, garlic, trassi, KuKui and other condiments (darker, richer in flavor).

Sambal Balado: Minangkabau style Sambal. Chile sauteed with oil, garlic, onion, tomato, salt, lemon or lime juice.

Sambal Belacan: Belacan is pronounced "belachan". Chili fried with belacan shrimp paste. It may be mixed with other ingredients to produce dishes such as sambal kangkong, sambal sotong (squid) and sambal telur (egg).

Sambal Kemiri: This is similar to Sambal Trassi with an addition of kemiri/KuKui a.k.a. Candlenuts.

Sambal Manis: Chile, onions and sugar (mild, sweet)

Sambal Trassi: Modern Indonesian is "Terasi"; it is the same as Malaysian Belacan. Red and green peppers, trassi, sugar, salt, lemon or lime juice (tangy, strong)

Sambal Udang: Chile fried with oil, garlic, shrimp paste (pronounced sea flavor).

Sambal Ulek (Oelek): Chile and salt (bright red, thin and sharp tasting). Sambal ulek is made by using a special utensil called cobek (made from stone or wood). Ulek is the process of grinding the ingredient of sambal on the cobek.

Sambal Jeruk: Green pepper with lemon. (colourless, adds taste)

Sambal Setan: A very hot sambal with Madame Jeanette peppers (red brownish, very sharp). The name literally means "Devil's Sauce".

Sambal Pedas Pedas: Extra hot Sambal Ulek.

Sambal

Ingredients

Variants

See also