Sambal is the family of chilli-based relishes of Indonesia, Malaysia and neighbouring countries, from plain sambal oelek to shrimp-paste sambal terasi and raw Balinese sambal matah.
What it is¶
Sambal is not one sauce but a whole category of chilli relishes eaten with almost every meal in Indonesia and Malaysia. At its simplest, sambal oelek is fresh red chillies ground with salt and a little vinegar or lime. From there the variations multiply: sambal terasi adds toasted shrimp paste, shallots and garlic; sambal matah is raw shallot, lemongrass and chilli dressed with coconut oil; sambal goreng is fried; sambal ijo uses green chillies. Indonesian cookery writers routinely speak of hundreds of distinct sambals.
The word ulek (Dutch spelling oelek) refers to the grinding action, and cobek and ulekan are the shallow stone mortar and pestle in which sambal is traditionally made.
Origins¶
Chillies reached the Indonesian archipelago in the sixteenth century, probably through Portuguese traders, and quickly became indispensable. Before them, pungency came from long pepper, black pepper, ginger and galangal, and it is widely suggested that earlier relishes of this kind existed; the chilli simply took over.
Sambal spread with the people of the region: to Sri Lanka with the Malay community (sambol there is a related word), to the Netherlands after the colonial period, and to Suriname with Javanese migrants. Jars of sambal oelek on Dutch supermarket shelves, and later worldwide, made it one of the first South-East Asian condiments widely known in Europe.
What goes in it¶
| Component | Role |
|---|---|
| Fresh red chillies | Heat and body; long red chillies for bulk, birds eye chilli for fire |
| Salt | Seasoning; draws out juice to help grinding |
| Shallots and garlic | Sweetness and depth in most cooked sambals |
| Shrimp paste (terasi / belacan) | Deep savoury, funky flavour |
| Palm sugar | Rounds the heat |
| Lime juice or tamarind | Acidity |
| Tomato | Body and mildness in some sambals |
| Lemongrass, makrut lime leaves | Fragrance in sambal matah and others |
📌 Shrimp paste
Many sambals, including sambal terasi and Malaysian sambal belacan, contain fermented shrimp paste and are neither vegetarian nor vegan. Sambal oelek is usually just chilli, salt and vinegar, but check commercial labels.
Flavour¶
Sambal oelek is clean, bright and hot, tasting mainly of fresh red chilli and salt. Sambal terasi is deeper, sweet from cooked shallots and palm sugar, with the pungent umami of toasted shrimp paste. Sambal matah is fresh, sharp and fragrant. What they share is that chilli is the main ingredient, not a seasoning — sambal is meant to be eaten in small amounts beside food, not stirred in by the jar.
How to use it¶
- Beside rice: a spoonful with nasi goreng, nasi lemak, nasi padang or plain rice and fried fish.
- With fried food: ayam penyet (smashed fried chicken) and tempeh are served with a heap of fresh sambal.
- In cooking: sambal oelek as a quick chilli base for stir-fries, noodles, soups and marinades.
- With vegetables: lalapan, raw vegetables and leaves dipped in sambal terasi.
- Beyond the region: in dressings, mayonnaise, or wherever a fresh chilli paste is wanted.
Making it at home¶
About 200 g sambal oelek (with sambal terasi below) · 15 minutes
You need
- 200 g fresh long red chillies, stems removed
- 2–4 bird's eye chillies (optional, for more heat)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar or lime juice
- For sambal terasi: 1 tsp shrimp paste, 3 shallots, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp palm sugar, 2 tbsp oil, lime juice to taste
Method
- Sambal oelek: roughly chop the chillies and grind with the salt in a mortar (or pulse in a small processor) to a coarse paste with visible seeds.
- Stir in the vinegar or lime. Taste for salt. This is ready to use or store.
- Sambal terasi: wrap the shrimp paste in foil and toast in a dry pan for 2 minutes per side until fragrant (open a window).
- Grind the shallots and garlic, then the toasted shrimp paste and palm sugar, then half the sambal oelek.
- Fry the paste in the oil over a medium heat for 5–8 minutes, stirring, until darkened and the oil separates. Cool and add lime juice to taste.
Variations¶
- Sambal oelek: chilli, salt, vinegar; the universal base.
- Sambal terasi (Indonesia) / sambal belacan (Malaysia): with toasted shrimp paste.
- Sambal matah (Bali): raw sliced shallots, lemongrass, chillies, lime leaf, shrimp paste and hot coconut oil.
- Sambal ijo (Padang, West Sumatra): green chillies and green tomatoes, fried.
- Sambal bajak: cooked, sweet and dark, with palm sugar and tamarind.
- Sambal kecap: sliced chilli and shallot in sweet soy sauce, for satay.
- Sambal tumis: fried chilli paste, often with shrimp or anchovies, as in nasi lemak.
- Pol sambol (Sri Lanka): grated coconut, chilli, onion, lime and often Maldive fish.
Buying and storing¶
Commercial sambal oelek, salted and acidified, keeps for months in the fridge once opened. Homemade raw sambal keeps 3–5 days refrigerated; cooked sambals such as sambal terasi, fried until the oil separates, keep 2–3 weeks in a clean jar in the fridge. Freeze in small portions for longer storage. Always refrigerate sambals made with shallots or garlic in oil.