Getting hot-hot-hot with home-made sambal

It is impossible to imagine Dutch kitchen cupboards without the jar of sambal, thanks to our past history with Indonesia. Yet it is more natural to make your own sambal, below we explain how to proceed. As a bonus, you also get an extra recipe, so you can experiment yourself.

Sambal recipe

Ingredients

  • 12 to 15 red chillies
  • 4 red rawits (small spicy peppers)
  • 3 large red onions
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • layer of (rice) oil for frying
  • optional: half a teaspoon of trassi
  • juice from half a lemon
  • stalk of sereh (lemongrass)
  • 2 leaves ofjeroek poeroet (lime leaf)
  • dash of water (if necessary)
  • 3 tablespoons ketjap manis
  • teaspoon (palm) sugar (or more to taste)
  • pinch of salt

This is how you go about it

  1. Chop the onion and garlic. Wash the chillies, remove the tops and cut into chunks.
  2. Crush the sereh and djeroek purot and crumble the trassi.
  3. Put the chillies in a food processor and grind finely.
  4. Pour the oil into a wok and make sure the bottom of the pan is covered. In the wok, slowly fry the onion and garlic. This may take a while. When the onion is slightly coloured, add the crumbled trassi. Fry this along with it. Crush it with a spatula.
  5. Then add the crushed chillies and stir well. Also put the bruised sereh and djurak purot leaves in the pan. These may be added in their entirety. If the mixture is too dry, add a dash of water.
  6. Now season the sambal with lemon juice, (palm) sugar, soy sauce and salt. Keep tasting until the flavour is to your liking.
  7. Now keep stirring the sambal until most of the liquid is out of the pan. Now your sambal is ready.
  8. Ladle these over into boiled-out glass jars.
  9. Turn the jars upside down and let it cool.
  10. When the mixture has cooled down, store the sambal in the fridge. Note: Always use a clean spoon to scoop the sambal with; this will also extend its shelf life.

Second sambal recipe

Ingredients

  • 200 grams of red chilli peppers
  • sugar (1 teaspoon)
  • vinegar (1 tablespoon)
  • oil (1 tablespoon)
  • salt (1 teaspoon)

Making sambal

  1. Coarsely chop the chilis and, if necessary, put on gloves to protect yourself from being stung.
  2. Add the chilis to a pan of water with about 125 ml (half a cup) of water and bring to the boil. Let simmer for about 15 minutes with the lid on.
  3. Pour into a food processor or blender and add the sugar, vinegar, salt and oil.
  4. Let the machine cut the mixture nicely small and then add directly to a sterilised jar. You can keep it in the fridge for a month.

Enjoy the process and your meal, of course!

Text: Laura van Dam Pictures: Alx Marks