Sambal Balado

March 3, 2017

Sambal Balado - kvalifood.com

Sambal balado is a cooked chili paste from Padang in West Sumatra. Fresh red chilies, shallots, garlic, and tomato are blended into a coarse paste, then fried until the oil separates and the color deepens. It is not eaten on its own – it is used to coat fried eggs, chicken, prawns, eggplant, or potatoes.

Makes ca. 250 ml

Ingredients

100 g fresh red chilies (long red, Fresno, or cabe merah keriting), roughly chopped
2-3 bird’s eye chilies (optional, for extra heat)
60 g shallots, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 medium tomato, roughly chopped
2 tbsp neutral oil (or coconut oil)
2-3 kaffir lime leaves, torn
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt, to taste
1 tbsp lime juice

Directions

Place the red chilies, bird’s eye chilies (if using), shallots, garlic, and tomato in a food processor. Pulse to a coarse paste – not perfectly smooth.

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan over medium heat. Add the paste and the torn kaffir lime leaves. Stir-fry for 5-7 minutes, stirring regularly, until the paste is fragrant, has thickened, and the oil begins to separate at the edges.

Add the sugar and salt. Stir through and taste. The sugar should round out the heat, not make it sweet.

Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice.

Notes

To use, toss the sambal with fried eggs (telur balado), fried chicken pieces (ayam balado), stir-fried prawns (udang balado), fried eggplant (terong balado), or fried potato cubes (kentang balado).
The chili-to-tomato ratio is the main variable. More tomato makes a milder, saucier result; less makes it more chili-forward.
For a more traditional Padang texture, use a mortar and pestle instead of a food processor.
If kaffir lime leaves are unavailable, a strip of lime zest works as a substitute.
Keeps 1-2 weeks refrigerated. Freezes well for up to 6 months.