Sambal Chilli

I've been introduced to this Nethili Sambal dish when I's 17 r 18 yrs old. A family member had been to singapore for many years and learned many dishes from there. That time she used to tell us about some paste ( which u don't get in India) which gives that authentic sambal flavour (now I know what she meant, obviously it's belacan). Inspite we had prepared this dish many a times. Later, we stopped consuming as it involves lots of time n lot's of OIL. This sambal chilli is used as a base for many malay dishes. It's finger licking delicious and I made Ikan bilis sambal ( nethili sambal)with this paste .Just try once, u'll fall in love..

Ingredients:

• Shallots (rose) --300 gm
• Dry red chillies -- 30 - 35 nos ( remove the seeds to take off the heat)
• Garlic -- 14 nos.
• Ginger -- 1" piece
• else
• Galangal -- 10 gm
• +Ginger -- 20 gm
• Salt -- to taste
• Oil -- 1/4 cup
• Jaggery /palm sugar -- 3 tbsp
• Thick tamarind pulp -- 3 tbsp (mixed with 1/4 cup of water)
• Belacan -- 1 tbsp,toasted (optional)

Method :

• Soak the shallots in water overnight to peel the skin easily( else soak it for a couple of hours)
• Cut the chillies using a scissor and remove all the seeds. Soak the skin in plain cold water for couple of hours or until it's soft.
• Toast the baacan in a pan until all the moisture is absorbed and turns dry n powdered.
• Also soak the garlic in water if it's skin is tight . Peel the skin off and gather the shallots,garlic,red chillies,ginger/galangal,belacan and put them in a blender. Finely grind everything adding only 1/4 cup or less water to run the mixie.
• Tranfer the grounded paste to the pan and cover it with a lid. Cook the mixture over medium to medium low flame for 7 to 8 minutes. By the time, all the moisture would have been gone and the paste would be dry.
• Pour n the 1/4 cup of oil to the paste now and mix thoroughly with the masala. Cover it with a lid and cook the mixture over a LOW flame for 35 to 40 minutes stirring every now and then. During this interval, u might see the colour changer from the blood red to almost brown tinge.This happens only if u slow cook the mixture for the specified time mention above.
• After 40 minutes, the oil would start leaving at the sides of the pan, @ this stage add the salt,tamarind pulp,jaggery and add 1/4 cup of water. (if needed)
• Mix them thoroughly and again cover it with a lid and again cook over a low flame until u reach the desire consistency (like jam,spreadable consistency)
• Let the sambal chilli cool for couple of minutes and store them in a good container .Store them in the freezer if u r not going to use it immediately,else keep it the fridge.

Notes/Suggestions :

• Adding belacan is purely optional, if u can get hold of it ,USE it. 
• Vegetarians  may simply omit the belacan and go ahead with the rest of the ingredients .This is the base masala for most of the Malaysian recipes.
• Actually, 1 cup of oil is used to make this sambal but I've reduced to 1/4th cup and u r welcome to filter the oil once the sambal has been made.
• Always add the oil after cooking the paste for atleat 5 minutes, by doing so, u r avoiding the spluttering situation inside ur kitchen.
• It's NOT SPICY at all as u already removed all the seeds.It's deliciously sweet..

Cheers,

Shanavi

 

Source:  Kitchen Secrets