Sambal: When You Want It Hot
published by dodolbete on Feb 4, 2012
When things get plain and cold, or in need of a hot stimulation to spice things up, some people then flirt with this exotic chili sauce.
A Sambal freak friend was worrying so much about how to get Sambal before moving abroad, that she even thinking of bringing chili seeds to plant there, while two foreign guests look so excited during one of my cousin’s wedding and then claimed, “We’re on a Sambal hunt!” before asking for some chili sauce recipes to bring home. Is Sambal really that special?
Sambal (formal Indonesian with “S”, both “A”s as in “But”, “M”, “B”, “L”), or Sambel (informal Indonesian, from Javenese language with “E” as “I” in “Bird”) is a chili based sauce to spice up taste. As cooking ingredients, we can put it in dishes, but can be also straightly consumed as side dishes to spice up our meals.
Many Indonesian make Sambal from chili peppers or bird’s eye chilies, to take it to the extreme levels, although Sambal can be made from various kinds of chilies, with a little bit of shrimp paste, salt, tomatoes, sugar, onion, or any other ingredients added. A “dying for Sambal” friend who moved to Holland years ago told me that he was making Sambal from dried chilies which soaked with warm water, while another friend who moved to US said, she managed to make Sambal with Jalapeño, which made her Sambal even hotter.
There were many varieties of Sambals in Indonesia. Some of the most popular ones are: Sambal terasi, balado, kacang, lado mudo, kecap, rica-rica, ulek, petis, tauco, tomat, bajak, gandaria, teri, tempe, mangga, petai, kalasan, setan, tempoyak, taliwang, etc. Traditionally, Sambals were made by using a stone mortar (in Indonesia, it can be purchased from modern or traditional market, but if you’re visiting Bandung, you’ll see many kids are hawking these kind of mortar along RE Martadinata street). You can also make Sambal by using a food processor to grind all of the ingredients, although the taste might be different from those made with a stone mortar. A friend who moved abroad told me that she even tried to make Sambal with a medicine mortar before finally bought an expensive stone mortar from an online store, just to get its’ real taste which she missed.
Indeed, many people love Sambals very much, but that doesn’t mean every Indonesian dishes use Sambal. If you’re one of those who can’t stand Sambal’s spicy taste, yet thinking of make the most of your culinary experience in Indonesia, make sure that you’ve ask whether the dishes you’re about to try is categorized in the spicy ones or not. But, if you’re looking for some exotic chili hot sensations, make the most of your journey in Indonesia to taste Indonesian Sambals.
WARNING: Sambals most likely taste spicy, yet some people find it very addictive, although it might be too hot for newbies. That way, please take a reasonable precautions to ensure no complains present after you consume any kind of Sambal. The person who wrote of this article can not accept responsibility for any loss or damage arising from the consumption of any kinds of Sambals.
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# 1 by erwinkennythomas
February 4th, 2012 at 7:28 pm #
wonderful
# 2 by dodolbete
February 4th, 2012 at 7:50 pm #
Thank you very much ^_^
# 3 by Dora77
February 4th, 2012 at 8:11 pm #
thanks dodolbete…its nice.
# 4 by dodolbete
February 4th, 2012 at 8:31 pm #
Thank you very much, Dora ^_^
# 5 by Yuditha86
February 4th, 2012 at 9:39 pm #
I Like It. Nice share.
# 6 by dodolbete
February 4th, 2012 at 9:42 pm #
Thank you Yuditha ^_^
# 7 by mevlanamarshall
February 5th, 2012 at 5:11 am #
I’m a big fan of sambal (or sambel in my area’s spelling) , cant eat without it
. Nice share anyway
# 8 by dodolbete
February 5th, 2012 at 5:21 am #
Really? Me too. Have fun with sambel then ^,^
# 9 by girishpuri
February 5th, 2012 at 1:18 pm #
i like it
# 10 by dodolbete
February 5th, 2012 at 1:31 pm #
The writing or the Sambal? Thank you very much Girishpuri ^_^
# 11 by banana007
February 9th, 2012 at 3:47 am #
nice share…
# 12 by dodolbete
February 9th, 2012 at 10:20 am #
Thank you banana007 ^_^
# 13 by mazfendys
February 14th, 2012 at 3:30 pm #
Do you like sambal pecel??
# 14 by dodolbete
February 14th, 2012 at 5:48 pm #
I like raw sambel terasi more ^,^
# 15 by aheed411
February 19th, 2012 at 4:08 am #
Looks delicious
# 16 by LCM Linda
February 21st, 2012 at 10:45 pm #
Sambal is new to me. I will see if I can get it in the big supermarket and give it a try.
# 17 by dodolbete
February 26th, 2012 at 2:34 pm #
@ aheed411: do you like it too?
@ LCM Linda: How nice of you, but careful though ^,^
# 18 by dwisuka
March 3rd, 2012 at 1:57 pm #
I love sambal terasi ( especially by terasi yuwono/Pati). But, if it too hot, I always get stomach disorder.
# 19 by bagus69
March 5th, 2012 at 11:55 pm #
hmmm sambal…. i like it…
# 20 by dodolbete
March 7th, 2012 at 11:03 am #
@dwisuka: Thank you for the recommendation. I should try that one when I go to Jogja ^_^
@bagus69: Really? Good for you then ^_^
# 21 by Lady Sunshine
March 27th, 2012 at 12:03 am #
Too hot for me! LOL. Your warning was funny.