Sambal belachan is a Malay chili paste that is eaten as an accompaniment to fish, chicken, egg, vegetables or mixed in with white rice or with soup or fried noodles. As an accompaniment, it is sometimes sprinkled with juice of calamansi, which is a tiny lime. It is also used in a stir fry with vegetables or prawns.
How can I describe this chili accompaniment except that it’s heavenly. Maybe I’m biased, it’s from my culture. This sambal is made with a combination of chili, belachan and dried shrimp, and other ingredients pounded together and then fried over low heat.
Belachan is a block of packed, grounded, dried shrimp that is best described as stinking to high heaven. Unless, of course, you are from around Singapore and its neighboring countries and then you’d think the smell is out of this world.
I made this at home during winter and could not get rid of the residual belachan aroma in my house, which, even for me, can be overpowering when I’m done eating the delicacy. I tried fanning (by hand) the ceiling, and every crack near my stove to blow the smell out through my window and it still lingered until I used vinegar and water and wiped down all my cabinets, walls and other adjacent surfaces. The next time I made it I was banished to cook it in the cold on my deck over my portable stove.
This is one thing my friend Gloria told me to cook wearing a shower cap. The smell gets all over you too. Shower after cooking.
Where to get it: Imagine my excitement when I discovered sambal belachan in the Great Wall Supermarket, in Merrifield, Va. In fact, I think they had different varieties and brands and I picked this way because it is made in Malaysia. It’s got to be authentic. It’s also available in Good Fortune Supermarket, Seven Corners, Va. I suppose their other branches would have this sauce too.
Well, I went home and ate it with leftover salmon and was very pleased with the chili. I think I’ll go buy a dozen and give to Russ, who loves this stuff. Home made sambal is the best but this is very, very good. No need to stink up kitchen for a while.
Look for this sauce in an Asian supermarket that has Singapore and Malaysian specialties. In a hurry? Fry an egg, and eat this with rice and sliced cucumber and some peanuts. It’s a wonderful, basic Malay breakfast.
NOTES
Please don’t go and buy Sambal Olek which is sold in a lot of places. It is not the same.
