Fresh sambal

Tam West

Sambal is a sharp and spicy chilli paste as popular as it is varied throughout the world. It can be eaten raw as a condiment to accompany grilled fish and meats and it can be cooked to form additional pastes, or simply used as an ingredient where chilli is called for. Sambal ulek (Indonesian) or oelek (Netherlands) takes its name from the process of using a pestle in a crushing and twisting motion.

Ingredients

75 g	Preserved red chilli, or use fresh red chilli (Main)
1 clove	Garlic
1 tsp	Salt
1	Spring onion, chopped
25 g	Palm sugar, grated
1	Lime, grated zest and juice
1 Tbsp	Shrimp paste

Directions

1. In a mortar and pestle, crush the preserved or fresh red chillies with the garlic, salt, spring onion, palm sugar and lime zest.
2. Grind ingredients together well to form a paste then mix with shrimp paste and lime juice. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.