Spicy Sweet & Sour Sambal

This recipe uses the most basic ingredients to make a spicy accompaniment to a Coconut Rice meal (Nasi Lemak)

You will need:

(1) 10 shallots (small onions)
(2) 10 red chillies, stalk end and seeds removed
(3) 2 to 3 heaped tablespoons of sugar (or the amount to taste, according to your preference)

(4) 2 candlenuts.
(5) 2 cups of vegetable oil
(6) A piece of Asam (dried tamarind) soaked overnight in half a cup of water.
(7) Salt to taste.

Notes on the ingredients:

Peeling the shallots is a nightmare. So if you are as lazy as me, you could get the pre-peeled & pre-washed variety from Cold Storage or some other supermart. If you're adventurous, you may add an extra 2-3 birds' eye chillies (chilly padi) but the sambal will turn out extra spicy. Candle nuts are easilly available at the dried section of any local supermarket or wet market. These may be substituted with 6-7 almonds. Asam should easily be found at the local wet markets. It provides the tanginess and extra flavor. You may substitute this with some lemon juice but the aroma of the end product may differ slightly.

Instructions:

First blend the candlenuts in a chopper. They are quite hard and you need to blend them until they are finely chopped. Next, add the shallots and chillies to the chopper and blend on pulse mode for about another 30 seconds.

Heat oil in a saucepan. You can tell its hot enough when you notice the top of the oil bubbling.

Fry shallots and chillies until the oil separates. This may take about 5 to 10 minutes. It is important to stir regularly to prevent the mixture from burning.

Next add the asam including the water used to soak it overnight. Cook for another few minutes, then stir in the sugar. As the sugar cooks, the paste should turn a darker red colour.

Lastly, add enough salt to taste.

Thats all there is to it!