Sambal Tumis (Malaysian Stir-Fried Chilli Paste)

March 4, 2026

Sambal Tumis (Malaysian Stir-Fried Chilli Paste) - kvalifood.com

Sambal tumis is the stir-fried chilli paste at the base of much Malay cooking. Dried chillies, shallots, garlic, and belacan are blended into a paste and fried slowly in oil until the oil separates – a stage called pecah minyak. Seasoned with tamarind for sourness and palm sugar for sweetness, it is the foundation for nasi lemak sambal, sambal udang, sambal sotong, and many stir-fries.

Makes ca. 500 g

Ingredients

60 g dried red chillies, stems removed
250 g shallots (or red onions), roughly chopped
30 g garlic (~6 cloves), roughly chopped
20 g belacan (fermented shrimp paste)
150 ml vegetable (or coconut) oil
2 tbsp tamarind pulp, soaked in 80 ml hot water and strained
50 g palm sugar (gula melaka), chopped (or dark brown sugar)
1 tsp salt, or, to taste

Directions

Cut the dried chillies into 2-3 cm pieces, pour boiling water over them, and soak for 15-20 minutes until soft. Drain well.
Wrap the belacan in foil and toast in a hot pan for 2-3 minutes per side until fragrant and slightly crumbly.
Combine the drained chillies, shallots, garlic, and toasted belacan in a blender. Add 2-3 tbsp of the oil to help it blend. Process until smooth.
Heat the remaining oil in a wok or heavy pan over medium heat. When hot, add the blended paste. It will splatter, so use a splatter guard or partially cover.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Fry the paste, stirring frequently, for 20-30 minutes. The paste will darken from bright red to deep brick red. Keep going until the oil visibly separates and pools on the surface. This is pecah minyak.
Add the tamarind water, palm sugar, and salt. Stir well and cook for another 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the flavours come together. Taste and adjust – it should balance spicy, sweet, and slightly sour.
Let cool completely. Transfer to sterilized glass jars and cover the surface with a thin layer of oil. Keeps 4-6 weeks refrigerated, or freeze in portions for several months.

Notes

The oil is not excess. Sambal tumis needs enough oil to properly fry the paste and achieve pecah minyak. Reducing below about 2:1 oil-to-chilli ratio makes this difficult.
Low and slow beats high heat. Higher heat risks burning the paste before pecah minyak is reached.
Kashmiri chillies work well as a substitute for colour without excessive heat. Avoid extremely hot varieties unless intended.
Uses: serve with nasi lemak (mix in fried anchovies), toss with prawns (sambal udang), squid (sambal sotong), eggs (sambal telur), stir-fry with vegetables, or use as a base for curries and fried rice.