A Basic and Easy To Make Version
- Updated: December 15, 2020
Sambal Belacan is a vital chili condiment in Malaysian cuisine. Many meals are incomplete without this spicy and savoury condiment. It goes with just about everything and can be both a dipping sauce and an ingredient for other dishes.
At the minimum, you will need chilies, belacan (shrimp paste), and calamansi (Limau Kasturi) juice. Belacan itself is salty enough and you can omit salt. I have included palm sugar (Gula Melaka) for a deeper caramel flavour.
Belacan is a hardened block of fermented shrimp paste made of geragau (a type of small shrimp like krill), that has been salted, dried, and fermented, and is an essential ingredient in Malaysian cuisine.
Belacan is not to be confused with Petis Udang (Hae ko) also called shrimp or prawn paste in English. It is used as the base for fruit rojak, and as a topping for Penang Assam Laksa. It is dark brown and sweet and is in liquid form.
Calamansi (Limau Kasturi) juice is added to the sambal just before using it as a dipping sauce or as a cooking ingredient. Calamansi is a citrus fruit like lemon and limes.
Notes
Tbsp = tablespoon
When you toast the belacan, be sure to open the windows and turn on the range hood or kitchen exhaust fan. The scent can be a bit strong.
If you are not consuming the paste or not using it straight away, transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator. It is best consumed within 2 to 3 days. You can keep the paste in the freezer for longer storage.
It is better for you to use a mortar and pestle set. It is made of stone usually granite. Alternatively, chilies and toasted belacan may be placed in a food processor, leaving it a bit smelly. I noticed that the chilli paste tastes a bit better if a pestle is used to pound the ingredients in a mortar bowl.
Method
1. Heat up a pan on low heat and toast the belacan for about 3 to 5 minutes or until it is aromatic.
2. When this done, transfer it to a small bowl and let it cool.
3. Slice the red chillies and small chillies and remove the seeds. And then, cut them into small pieces.
4. After that, transfer the chilies to a stone mortar and pound them until the pieces are mashed up.
5. And then, add the toasted belacan and palm sugar and continue to pound until the paste is fine.
6. Squeeze the calamansi juice into a cup and add the juice to the paste.
7. Stir to mix just before serving or use.
Ingredients
1 piece (4 cm X 0.5 cm) of belacan.
7 to 8 large red chillies.
4 to 6 red bird’s eye chilies (Cili padi).
6 calamansi to be squeezed for the juice.
½ tbsp palm sugar. Optional.
Prep Time: 25 minutes for preparing and pounding the ingredients.
Cook Time: 5 minutes for toasting the belacan.
Total Time: 30 minutes.
Servings: 15 tbsp
Cuisine inspiration: Malaysian