Coarse-Ground Sambal Oelek (Fresh Red Chile Paste)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The Indonesian chile paste that anchors half of Southeast Asian cooking: fresh red chiles pounded coarse with salt, then cooked in oil with a splash of vinegar until the paste darkens and the oil breaks free. Unlike sriracha it isn't smooth, sweet or garlicky-sour — it is bright, salty, raggedly textured heat you can spoon onto noodles, stir into fried rice, or use as the base for sambal goreng and gado-gado dressing. One pound of chiles makes about a jar and a half, and it keeps for a month.

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh red chiles (Fresno, red jalapeño, or red serrano, or a mix)
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup water

• 3 tbsp neutral oil, such as peanut or vegetable
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
• 2 tsp palm sugar or light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled (for sambal oelek bawang)
• 1 tsp Indonesian shrimp paste (terasi) or Thai shrimp paste, toasted (for sambal terasi)
• 2 small shallots, peeled and halved

Instructions

1. Put on a pair of disposable gloves — a pound of chiles will leave your fingers burning for hours. Pull the stems off the chiles and slice them crosswise into rough 1/2-inch pieces, seeds and all. For a milder paste (still lively, but spoonable), halve the chiles lengthwise first and scrape out about half the seeds and white pith with a teaspoon.
2. Combine the chiles, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. If you want the garlic or shallot version, add them now. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover, and cook 10 to 12 minutes, until the chile skins are slack and a piece crushes easily against the side of the pan with a spoon. Don't lean over the pot — the steam is genuinely harsh.
3. Uncover and simmer 2 to 3 minutes more to cook off most of the free liquid; you want the chiles wet but not swimming. Let cool 10 minutes.
4. Grind to a coarse paste. In a food processor, pulse in short 1-second bursts, 10 to 15 times, scraping down once — stop while you can still see distinct flecks of skin and seed. Sambal oelek is not a purée; over-processing turns it foamy and pink. For the traditional texture, pound the chiles in a large mortar in two batches instead, working the pestle in a grinding circle for about 5 minutes per batch.
5. Wipe out the saucepan and set it over medium heat with the 3 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers (about 30 seconds), add the ground chile paste — it will hiss hard. Stand back, then stir in the vinegar, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. If using shrimp paste, mash it in now.
6. Cook at a lively bubble, stirring every 30 seconds or so, for 8 to 12 minutes. The paste is done when it has darkened from bright scarlet to a deeper brick red, mounds on the spoon instead of running, and a clear film of red-tinged oil separates at the edges of the pan. Scrape the bottom often in the last few minutes so nothing scorches.
7. Kill the heat, stir in the lime juice, and taste with a very small spoon. It should read salty-sour first and sweet almost not at all; add salt in 1/4-teaspoon pinches or another splash of vinegar as needed.
8. Cool to room temperature, then pack into clean glass jars, pressing the paste flat and smoothing any oil over the top to seal the surface. Refrigerate at least overnight before using — the raw edge settles and the flavor rounds out. Keeps 1 month refrigerated.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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