Fire free for sambal
Who doesn't know this spicy red sauce, whose triumph began in the 1970s when Chinese restaurants established themselves in cities across the country and became extremely popular. It was usually available in a small jar next to the obligatory salt and pepper shakers so that the spiciness of the dishes could be adjusted to suit individual tastes. Nowadays, sambal and all its variations have long since conquered domestic kitchens and grilled food also benefits from the multifaceted spiciness of the red sauce.
Sambal originally comes from Indonesia, where it is an indispensable ingredient in rice dishes. The spice mixture traditionally consists of fresh red chili peppers, salt and vinegar. Since fresh chili peppers are hotter than fried or boiled ones, this chili paste is very hot. But different recipe variations have now been developed. The basic mixture is refined with roasted onions, fermented shrimp, sugars, herbs and spices, and no two sambals are the same. One is so hot that it brings tears to your eyes, the next is so sweet that it could almost pass as jam. Which sambal you choose depends mainly on your personal taste for the dish in question.
Sambal Oelek is the all-rounder that only consists of red chilies with seeds, salt and vinegar, is very hot and goes with pretty much everything. It is a spicy base for grill and barbecue marinades.
Sambal Badjak is braised or fried for a long time during preparation and therefore no longer has a fiery spiciness, but rather a lovely sweetness. The main ingredients, in addition to red chilies, are onions, garlic, shrimp paste and sugar. It is also called "buccaneer" or "pirate sambal" because the paste was preserved by frying and could therefore also be used on longer sea voyages. This sambal goes very well with burgers or drumsticks from the grill.
Sambal Manis is the Indonesian word for "sweet", so it's no surprise that Sambal Manis is even milder and sweeter than Sambal Badjak. In addition to the familiar ingredients, the taste is rounded off by a combination of soy sauce and manis sugar. This sambal pimps up cold roast in a sandwich and also tastes good on crackers with cream cheese. White meat or grilled fish also go well with this seasoning.
Sambal Brandal is also braised for a long time and gently, but unlike Sambal Badjak it is very spicy. The Indonesian Rawit chilis are responsible for the spiciness, which reaches the top of the spiciness scale. It goes well with grilled chicken - if you add a little of it to the marinade or rub, you get a really devilishly good chicken.
Sambal Asem is fresh and sour and just a little sweet thanks to the addition of tamarind. Tamarind is the legume of the tamarind tree and is mainly available in our country as a paste or a type of syrup. This tart sambal gives grilled vegetables or Asian meat skewers an extra kick of flavor.
Of course, you can buy good quality sambal in retail stores. But it is actually easy to make and it is also much more fun to prepare your own sambal and give it your own personal touch. It is best to start with the basic recipe for Sambal Oelek and vary it to your own taste! One last tip: When handling chilis, it is advisable to wear gloves. This protects sensitive skin and also your eyes if you accidentally rub your eyes - even after hours - and forget that you have cut chilis...
Basic recipe Sambal Oelek
Ingredients:
• 200 g red chillies
• 125 ml water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt
Preparation time:
20 min
Preparation:
Roughly chop the chili peppers. Put the water in a pot, add the chilies and bring everything to the boil. Simmer with the lid closed for 15 minutes. Then put the chilies and the water in a tall blender. Add the sugar, vinegar, oil and salt and puree with a hand blender until it forms a fine mixture.
Sterilize jars with screw lids in boiling water and pour in the sambal oelek. Close the lids tightly and store in a cool place. The sambal oelek will keep for about 4 weeks.
