Homemade Sambal Oelek

dale!'s Note:

A staple in Malaysian and Thai cooking. Oelek means grinding so sambal oelek means ground chilli sambal! This can also be frozen.

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 1 batch

• 1 lb red chile
• 5 ½ ounces garlic , peeled and chopped
• 5 ½ ounces tender young ginger , peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks lemongrass , thinly sliced (white part only)
• 6 fluid ounces vinegar
• 8 ounces sugar
• salt , to taste
• 1 tablespoon lime zest , chopped

Directions:

1. Blend the chillies, garlic, ginger and lemon grass in a food processor or mortar and pestle.
2. While processing gradually add the vinegar.
3. Place the pureed mixture into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
5. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
6. Add the salt and lime zest.
7. Remove from the heat, cool and bottle in sterilised jars.

Reviews

[Chef #726534]

To be fair, I'm not giving this any stars because I didn't follow the recipe as written, but I did use it closely as a guide. Here's what I did. I didn't have any chilis, but I did have a bottle of Asian chili paste that already had the chilis, garlic, vinegar and salt in it, so I used that as a base. Next, I ground some ginger, lime zest, sugar and a kefir lime leaf (I didn't have any lemongrass) with a mortar and pestle. I then added the chili garlic paste and mixed it all together. The result is delicious! I don't know if it's authentic, or if it tastes like what this recipe would taste like if I followed it exactly, but it's pretty good on its own. Eventually I will make this exactly as written and will come back and give it some stars then. Thanks for posting!

[gailanng]

Ohhhhh the pain of the peppers. That so remind me...I should go tomorrow just to feel the sheer torture of a pedicure. BEST sambal oelek ever...the lemongrass puts it over the top.

[Queen Dana]

Hot! Very good. I used dried peppers but rehydrate them by soaking them in warm water for about 15 mins. Made for ZWT6.