Katy’s sambal
Sambal is an aromatic Indonesian chilli paste, which when batch-made and held in the fridge will serve you so well in the flavour hack department! Rather than chopping chillies, ginger etc. every time you fancy making a hot and fragrant curry, dhal or fried-rice dish, this home-made sambal keeps you one-step ahead which is ideal for delicious, speedy weeknight cooking.
Try using a tablespoon or two at the base of our Tofu-fried Rice (recipe coming soon), or in a Tom Yum Soup (again, soon!). Katy’s sambal is equally brilliant when used as a marinade on cauli florets pre-roasting, or aubergine slices to be thrown on the barbeque… Not only that, but sambal can be used as a condiment in its own right - try it dolloped on Black Rice Nasigoring (soon, we promise!) for the ultimate flavour punch!
Recipe:
300g fresh red chillies, stalks and seeds removed
40g dried red chilli
120g ginger, peeled
2 stalks lemongrass, topped and tailed, outer layer removed
2 red onions onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 salad tomatoes
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 lime, juice only
2 tbsp brown sugar, or palm sugar
2 tbsp tamari, or soy sauce
2 tsp tamarind concentrate, or 1 heaped tbsp if paste
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
100ml warm water, for soaking chillies
2 tbsp coconut oil
Method:
A sterilised jar is key to protecting your sambal’s shelf-life, so let’s start with a nerdy little ‘how-to’ on sterilisation. Preheat the oven to 140 degrees; wash your jar and lid very well and rinse thoroughly; pop in the oven for 10 minutes (without the rubber seal) to dry and sterilise; allow to cool before filling.
Now on the good stuff! Prep all the ingredients as described, then pop everything in a blender (with the exception of the coconut oil) and whizz until smooth.
Heat the coconut oil in a small non-stick pan and once hot pour in the raw sambal - it will sizzle ferociously! Turn the heat down and fry the sambal paste on a low heat for 30 minutes with the lid on. Be sure to stir from time to time so it doesn’t stick. If needs be, add a splash of water as you go to prevent it drying out. The final texture is moist yet firm, and the paste should hold its shape on a spoon.
Allow the sambal to cool before potting. Melt a few extra tablespoons of coconut oil in a saucepan, flatten the top of the sambal within your jar, and pour over the coconut oil as a sealing layer. Store it in the fridge where it will last up to 1 month. Remember to use a clean spoon each time to protect the shelf-life of your delicious sambal.