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Sambal Oelek - First Attempt

SmokenFire

SmokenFire

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Was reading about Sambal Oelek around here awhile back so I decided to make some.
 
Here are the ingredients:
 
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That's 3 stalks of lemongrass, some super thai, ginger, garlic, several orchid pi, 1 ripe jala, 2 milah helow, 1 not scorpion, 1 aji verde, some carmen sweets, 4 fresnos and 3 unknown to me peppers (start black/purplish and ripen red, hot).
 
Here is everything getting happy in the processor:
 
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I ended up adding 1 tbsp turbinado sugar, 5 tbsp cider vinegar and 1 tsp salt.  Turned it all out into a small sauce pan and brought it up to a simmer over med/high heat.  Covered and let simmer for 5 mins, then spooned it out into jars.
 
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Made this 3 days ago, going to open up a jar tonight to serve with drunken noodles and some tiger cry.  Excited to see how it tastes.  :)
 
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Hey! This looks very tasty, but it's not the traditional way to make it. Sambal Ulek (Oelek is the Dutch spelling) is an Indonesian specialty that's become also very popular in the Netherlands through the Indonesian diaspora. It's traditionally made using a mortar and pestle, which they call an 'ulekan' (hence the name Ulek) in Indonesia. You grind the ingredients in a twisting manner until you get a mash. Using a food processor you don't get the proper consistency. Sambal Ulek is a base-variety of sambal, with which you can make other varieties by adding certain ingredients. Ulek is made with peppers, salt and some vinegar. There's no set-in-stone list of ingredients because it differs from family to family, but most recipes involve peppers (obviously), shallots or onions, garlic, peanuts and lime leaves. It might be nice to try Sambal Kecap or Sambal Terong. Sambal Terong uses eggplant, which a lot of us here grow too. Good luck!
 
Ps: If you google 'Sambal ulek' on Google images, you get an idea of how it should be done, and which consistency to aim for.
 
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This would be more akin to the Huy Fong version because surely they are not using mortar and pestle hehe.
 
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Yeah, all commercially available Sambal obviously isn't traditional. And to be honest it doesn't taste anything like proper Sambal. It basically has no depth in flavor, it's just hot. Try to make a traditional style Sambal once, and you'll never go back to storebought. It's day and night really. And there are loads of different recipes to try! I'll see if I can find some Indonesian 'grandmother's recipes' for you guys.
 
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b3rnd said:
Yeah, all commercially available Sambal obviously isn't traditional. And to be honest it doesn't taste anything like proper Sambal. It basically has no depth in flavor, it's just hot. Try to make a traditional style Sambal once, and you'll never go back to storebought. It's day and night really. And there are loads of different recipes to try! I'll see if I can find some Indonesian 'grandmother's recipes' for you guys.
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We have a lot of Indonesian in the area here, and yeah there are a lot "Grandma" recipes. Many have ingredients that don't match to named sambal recipes. Most I've seen here just use a food processor, or blender instead of a mortar & pestle. They still make some pretty good sambal though.
 
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DaQatz said:
 
We have a lot of Indonesian in the area here, and yeah there are a lot "Grandma" recipes. Many have ingredients that don't match to named sambal recipes. Most I've seen here just use a food processor, or blender instead of a mortar & pestle. They still make some pretty good sambal though.
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Yeah, a lot of people use food processors or blenders, and that's fine. It's a lot less work for sure. But I think it's part of making the Sambal the traditional way that adds to the experience of eating it. It makes it more 'you', if that makes sense. I find it more satisfying, at least. Maybe that's just me, but there's no harm in trying right? It's also a lot easier to get the right consistency because a processor blends it too much pretty fast and then there's no going back.
 
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b3rnd said:
 
Yeah, a lot of people use food processors or blenders, and that's fine. It's a lot less work for sure. But I think it's part of making the Sambal the traditional way that adds to the experience of eating it. It makes it more 'you', if that makes sense. I find it more satisfying, at least. Maybe that's just me, but there's no harm in trying right? It's also a lot easier to get the right consistency because a processor blends it too much pretty fast and then there's no going back.
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I looked at several recipes with varying ingredients prior to deciding which to make.  Seems its a condiment with many versions akin to salsa or curry powder.  
 
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Didn't mean to diss your Sambal at all! Just trying to show you guys the traditional way, and that there are loads of different kinds of Sambal. Ulek is basically the most simple version, so I thought I'd share what I know so you could try some more complex ones next time. Also I'm a sucker for tradition so that's why I mentioned the mortar and pestle thing.
 
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b3rnd said:
Didn't mean to diss your Sambal at all! Just trying to show you guys the traditional way, and that there are loads of different kinds of Sambal. Ulek is basically the most simple version, so I thought I'd share what I know so you could try some more complex ones next time. Also I'm a sucker for tradition so that's why I mentioned the mortar and pestle thing.
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All good bernd!  :)
 
We finished most of the small jar with the tiger cry and drunken noodles last night.  It's a touch sweet at first and then finishes with a nice warmth.  I'd put it between serrano and habanero heat level - perfect for the food.
 
If I have any critical thoughts on the sambal it would be that it was a bit seedy.  Next time I'll pull the seeds from maybe half the pods to address that.
 
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