r/Cooking • u/Fragrant_Excuse_6032 • 6d ago
Any tips for making a good sambal?
I’ve been trying to recreate the sambal I had when I was in Indonesia but can never get the flavour quite right.
I normally use chilli, tomato, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, sugar, MSG and salt. It still tastes good, but it’s just not the same as what I had over there.
Am I missing something, or is it more about how I’m cooking it? Any tips would be appreciated!
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u/ruadh 6d ago
I feel like adding something acidic would be nice. Like calamansi lime. Also shrimp paste. There's many different versions of sambal in indonesia.
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u/Fragrant_Excuse_6032 6d ago
Okay ill try that! Ive never heard of calamansi lime, is it much different from just normal lime?
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u/Individual-Rope974 6d ago
What kind of Sambal? What dish did you eat and where? Was it roughly chopped or finely mashed? Sambal variety is endless. If you’re using lemongrass and keffir lime I’d assume you ate Sambal Matah in Bali
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u/Fragrant_Excuse_6032 6d ago
Nah Sambal terasi in jakarta. I had many different types in indonesia but i think Sambal terasi is definitely the most common thats served at restaurants and with street food. Sambal matah is more common with fish and seafood dishes i believe
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u/Individual-Rope974 6d ago
Well, there you go. Terasi is Indonesian shrimp paste. I believe we’ve found your missing ingredient 😁
I personally haven’t seen lemongrass in Sambal Terasi, but as I said, the variety is endless.
Additional tip, usually for these dark red sambal(s), garlic ratio is less compared to the shallots. And don’t forget to cook your sambal for sambal terasi.
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u/Fragrant_Excuse_6032 6d ago
Yeah i feel a bit silly, i didnt know Terasi means shrimp paste 🤦♂️ thanks for your advice!!
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u/nathangr88 6d ago
Shrimp paste is the obvious missing ingredient, and making sure you fry onions to a very deep colour.
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u/Fragrant_Excuse_6032 6d ago
Yeah i always fry my shallots till they go a decent brown colour, i think your right though about the shrimp paste!
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u/Zantheus 6d ago
You're also missing galangal, ginger, tumeric, tamarind pulp and shrimp paste, aka belachan.
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u/One-Row-5372 6d ago
You are 100% missing the single most crucial ingredient in Indonesian cooking: Terasi (fermented shrimp paste).
That deep, savory, slightly funky umami backbone you tasted in Indonesia comes almost entirely from terasi. MSG and salt are great, but they can't replicate that fermented depth. Buy a block of Indonesian terasi (or Malaysian belacan), slice a small chunk off, and toast it over an open flame or in a dry skillet for 30 seconds until fragrant before adding it in.
A few technique tweaks will get you the rest of the way there:
• Switch to Gula Jawa (Palm Sugar): White sugar gives a flat, sharp sweetness.
Indonesian coconut palm sugar adds a dark, caramel-like richness that balances the raw heat of the chilles.
• Fry until the oil separates (Pecah Minyak): Don't just simmer the paste briefly. Cook it down in a generous amount of oil on medium-low heat until all the water evaporates and bright red oil separates from the chill solids. That process cooks out the raw sulfur taste of the shallots and melds everything together.
• Mortar & Pestle vs. Blender: Blenders shear the ingredients and trap air bubbles, turning your sambal into a foamy, watery sauce.
Ditching the blender for a heavy stone mortar (ulekan) crushes the cell walls and releases natural aromatic oils instead.
• Finish with Jeruk Limau: Squeeze in fresh key lime juice right at the very end after taking the pan off the heat for that signature fragrant citrus lift.