Sambal Step 4

Add the salt, onion, strained tamarind juice and gula melaka and cook for a further 2 minutes. If using coconut milk, add it now and cook a further 5 minutes.

Sambal Step 3

Heat the oil in your wok (you can use a saucepan if you don't have a wok) over moderate heat, add the spice paste and fry for 10 minutes until it is fragrant. You know it's getting there when you start choking/coughing on the fumes. You don't want to overcook the paste, so don't cook the hell out of it.

Sambal Step 2

Pound the spice paste ingredients above (dried chili's, fresh chili's, shallots, garlic, galangal & dry roasted belachan) until you have a fine paste (you can also use a blender or food processor).

Sambal Step 1

Dry roast the belachan in a small saucepan without oil, medium heat. Careful not to burn. When it starts to smoke, it's done.

SAMBAL BELACHAN TUMIS

Ingredients:

Spice Paste

- 6-10 dried chili's, soaked in hot water until soft
- 2-4 fresh chili's
- 6 shallots, peeled & chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped
- 1/2 inch of pc galangal, peeled and chopped (a.k.a. lengkuas, this is a fragrant root from the ginger family, you can substitute ginger if you can't find galangal, but don't use as much of it - ginger is a bit stronger than galangal)
- 1 tsp belachan, dry roasted in wok (belachan is dried prawn paste, sold in dried blocks at your Asian grocery store)

- 2 tbsp oil
- salt to taste
- 1-2 tbsp of tamarind pulp, soaked in 1/4 cup water and strained to remove the seeds and pulp
- 1 tsp gula melaka (a.k.a. palm sugar, sold in blocks or cylinders and made from the sap of the coconut or arenga palm tree).
- 1/4 cup coconut milk (optional)

Method:

1.) Dry roast the belachan in your wok or small saucepan.

2.) Pound the spice paste ingredients above (dried chili's, fresh chili's, shallots, garlic, galangal & dry roasted belachan) until you have a fine paste (you can also use a blender or food processor).

3.) Heat the oil in your wok (you can use a saucepan if you don't have a wok) over moderate heat, add the spice paste and fry for 10 minutes until it is fragrant. You know it's getting there when you start choking/coughing on the fumes. You don't want to overcook the paste, so don't cook the hell out of it.

4.) Add the salt, onion, strained tamarind juice and gula melaka and cook for a further 2 minutes. If using coconut milk, add it now and cook a further 5 minutes.

5.) Serve with just about anything!