what is Sambal Oelek?

TECHNICALLY speaking, sambal oelek is one of the dozens of established variants of the Southeast Asian condiment family known as sambal. Chili pastes, in effect. The Huy Fong sambal oelek you find on the shelves of supermarkets here in the US has no garlic. That's what differentiates it from Huy Fong's Chili Garlic Sauce -- a sambal that does contain garlic. Huy Fong's big seller is of course their sriracha. That is a formulation that contains both garlic and sugar. From what I've gleaned reading Wikipedia, an "oelek" is a sambal in its most basic form, usable as is or as a starting point for a more elaborate sauce.

Sambal Oelek is a ground fresh chili paste, extremely "hot" and is used to spice up foods. I'm able to find it at my local grocery store and I'm sure it's available at Asian markets as well.. Use caution when adding to your recipe...a little goes a long way.