Grandpa & Grandma's Nasi Lemak Recipe Part 1 - Sambal Belacan
Here's a delicious Malaysian recipe from your grandparents that you're sure to love! This sambal belacan will add spice to any dish.
Ingredients
Version A - Sambal Belacan as a cooking ingredient:
- 5 fresh red chilies - remove seeds if you like your sambal smoother and less spicy
- 1 1/2 tbsp belacan shrimp paste
Version B - Sambal Belacan as a relish:
- 5 fresh red chilies
- 1 1/2 tbsp shrimp paste belacan
- 1 calamansi lime You can use another type of lime if you cannot find calamansi lime in your area
Optional ingredients (quantity - go with your personal preference):
- sugar to taste
- soy sauce to taste
- finely minced garlic
Instructions
For Version A:
- Cut the chilies into smaller pieces, so they are easier to grind.
- With a pestle, pound the chilies & non-toasted belacan together in a mortar, until ground fine.
- That's it! You have sambal belacan ready for stir frying with many dishes.
For Version B:
- Toast the shrimp paste in a frying pan or a wok on low heat until it dries out, turns powdery, and as my mom says, smells "fragrant". The dry frying should take about 3-4 minutes.
- With a pestle, pound the chilies & toasted belacan together in a mortar, until ground fine.
- Add the optional ingredients and mix well.
- Squeeze in lime juice when you are ready to serve.
Notes
1. Shrimp paste can only be consumed when it is fully cooked. That is why it has be toasted when you prepare it as a condiment.
2. Sambal belacan is best made with a mortar & pestle, but a food processor works fine too.
3. You may find salt being added in many sambal belacan recipes. However, Mom & I prefer to skip the additional salt since shrimp paste already contains a lot.
4. For more heat, toss in some chili padi (bird's eye chili), and for a more vibrant color, use a mix of green & red chilies.
5. When I asked my mom how long sambal belacan can keep, she said, "until you use it". That's equivalent to a few months in the refrigerator and much longer in the freezer.
- Sambal belacan is the perfect condiment with classic Malaysia's nasi lemak (Part 4). To enjoy nasi lemak as a spread, add dishes such as tamarind prawns (Part 2) and sambal ikan bilis (Part 3).
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!