Sambal Oelek Chili Paste

Close-up of a bowl of homemade red sambal oelek.

5 from 6 votes

Sambal Oelek is an uncooked sambal that is made by many South East Asian families. Salty, tangy and spicy, this Indonesian sauce is a great dipping side and makes even plain white jasmine rice taste good!

Prep Time2

Cook Time10

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indonesian, Southeast Asian

Servings: person

Calories: 55kcal

Author: Zen

Equipment

mortar and pestle OR blender
Scissors OR knife and chopping board

Ingredients

3 big red chilies (50g/ 1.76 oz) This makes 3 Tablespoons of sambal. Wash, cut into smaller pieces and remove as many seeds as possible. Do NOT touch your eyes after handling chilies!
1¼ teaspoon rice wine vinegar Substitute: calamansi lime juice, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon coarse salt

Instructions

Traditional :Using a mortar and pestle
Wash, dry and cut the chilies into smaller pieces. (The smaller you cut them, the easier it is to blend.)
Note: the seeds make the chili paste hotter, so remove as many as possible.
Pound them with the salt.
Drizzle the vinegar as you pound, till everything has formed a thick paste. Refer to the video above if necessary.
Note: it took me 10 minutes to pound 3 large chilies, which makes about 3 Tablespoons (50g/ 1.76 oz.) The more chilies you pound, the longer it will take. Don't try to pound too many at once or it will be counterproductive!

Faster: using a blender or food processor

Cut the chilies (with a scissors or knife) then blend with the the vinegar and salt. Do not over-process as the ground chili sauce has a bit of a chunky texture. It should not be totally smooth!

Video

Notes

Warning: Do NOT touch your eyes after handling the chilies or they will BURN!

Storage: Keeps for a week in the fridge in a sterilised jar. Toss if moldy!

Quantity: this makes 3 Tablespoons. If you want more sambal oelek, you will need to double or triple the ingredients.

Nutrition