Sambal Belacan

Name: Sambal Belacan
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 4 oz red chilies (seeded, thinly sliced); 1 tbsp belacan (shrimp paste); salt to taste; 1 -1½ teaspoons sugar; 2 tbsp Calamansi lime juice (or lime juice)

Sambal Belacan is a quintessential Malaysian condiment and a fundamental component of Malaysian cuisine. Discover the best and most authentic sambal belacan with my easy, step-by-step recipe.

⏱ 15 min 🔨 Prep 15min 📊 Easy 🍽 4 servings ⭐ 4.8 (16) 👁 6

Ingredients

4 servings

4 oz red chilies (seeded, thinly sliced)
1 tbsp belacan (shrimp paste)
salt to taste
1 -1½ teaspoons sugar
2 tbsp Calamansi lime juice (or lime juice)

Instructions

Clean the chilies under running water, then seed and slice them. Transfer the chilies to a mortar.
Heat a wok or pan over low heat and toast the belacan until it becomes aromatic. It should turn dry and powdery after toasting. Transfer it to the mortar with the red chilies and pound with the pestle until fine. (Some people prefer their sambal belacan a bit coarse, so adjust to your taste.)
Transfer the mixture to a bowl, then add salt and sugar to taste, along with lime juice (or calamansi lime juice). Blend well. You can store the sambal in the refrigerator for a couple of days or freeze it for longer storage.

Sambal & Spices sambal belacanmalaysian recipes