Sambal is a Southeast Asian condiment that I think is a bit misunderstood. It’s not just a plain and simple spicy hot sauce; There are actually so many different types of sambals in Indonesia, Malaysia, and beyond!
While all sambals are made with a cocktail of chiles and alliums, the flavor profile and method of making each sambal can vary greatly. Some sambals are ground up raw, some are cooked over a low and slow fire until thick and intense. Some sambals are sweetened with sugar and made tangy with tamarind, some have a deep umami thanks to prawn paste, and others yet might have chunky bits of red onion and or fried anchovies in it. There are even specialty sambals meant for stir-fries or steaming fish, and some are made ready-to-eat for garnishing any dish.
Beyond traditional Southeast Asian dishes that utilize sambal (of which there are many), a non-conventional way I like using sambal is with butter. I’ll mix sambal and butter into a paste which I can use for a multitude of purposes — from finishing steaks to working it as a rub for chicken, for buttery stir-fries, or even just simply spread on bread.
The latter is the one I’ve outlined below, and is the simplest, lowest lift recipe that I think is the gateway to appreciating (and hopefully loving) sambal. Just spread the sambal butter on bread, toast it up on a pan until the bits of sambal caramelize, top with poached eggs, and more sambal — the ready-to-eat crispy sambal works perfect for this — and you’ll get a super simple dish that has a big punchy kick of sambal flavor.
So the next time you see sambal, don’t be intimidated by it; Show it some love, and it’ll add spice to your life! —Jun
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