Indonesian chilli paste, known as "sambal" is huge here in Holland, due to a shameful colonial past.
There are dozens if not hundreds of different sambals, each with distinct flavors and ingredients.
The chillies used to make the paste are commonly Rawits and Lomboks, or any bird's eye type.
For the same reason (colonial past), Surinamese chillies like Madame Jeanette and Aji Uma / Adjoema (Chinense) are popular here.
Sambal is always eaten as a side dish (with rice or noodles). Instead of jelly, try plopping a good dab of it on a PB sandwich ! It's super good.
But when I lived in the US, I couldn't find any sambals at all ! Boo ! So had to make from scratch.
And recently I stumbled upon this exceptionally neat recipe. A very nice sambal !
Instead of lemongrass, one could use a squeeze of lemon juice (this is what my Indo neighbor did).
One could also include ginger root, garlic, Pretty much anything goes.
Explanation for this particular sambal recipe :
"Belachan" is the same as "Trassi" or "Terasi" = fermented shrimp paste. Sure, it reeks like a mother, but it is essential in Indonesian cooking. Your local asian store probably has it.
"Assam water" = water with tamarind.
This is GOOD EATIN', folks .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=690ha_q_4S0
There are dozens if not hundreds of different sambals, each with distinct flavors and ingredients.
The chillies used to make the paste are commonly Rawits and Lomboks, or any bird's eye type.
For the same reason (colonial past), Surinamese chillies like Madame Jeanette and Aji Uma / Adjoema (Chinense) are popular here.
Sambal is always eaten as a side dish (with rice or noodles). Instead of jelly, try plopping a good dab of it on a PB sandwich ! It's super good.
But when I lived in the US, I couldn't find any sambals at all ! Boo ! So had to make from scratch.
And recently I stumbled upon this exceptionally neat recipe. A very nice sambal !
Instead of lemongrass, one could use a squeeze of lemon juice (this is what my Indo neighbor did).
One could also include ginger root, garlic, Pretty much anything goes.
Explanation for this particular sambal recipe :
"Belachan" is the same as "Trassi" or "Terasi" = fermented shrimp paste. Sure, it reeks like a mother, but it is essential in Indonesian cooking. Your local asian store probably has it.
"Assam water" = water with tamarind.
This is GOOD EATIN', folks .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=690ha_q_4S0
