Clem's Sambal for Nasi Lemak

Sambal is a spicy relish prepared to accompany other dishes. It is based on chilli with other ingredients added to build up its flavour profile. These other ingredients vary according to region and personal preferences. Its normal flavour profile is chilli hot, savoury and slightly tart.

In Malaysia, a particular sambal is part of a popular dish known as Nasi Lemak (rice cooked with coconut milk or cream and offered with a main such as fried chicken or curry, fried anchovies and some raw or blanched vegetables - see here).

I made my first batch ever of a sambal for nasi lemak using the a recipe I concocted after looking up on how this relish is prepared by various online cooks. These are the main ingredients:
 

The main ingredients for a sambal for nasi lemak
 

• There are no set quantities for this recipe. Just add what looks right and to your taste.
  This is the agak agak (guestimate) method of cooking often practiced in Malaysia.
   

• Wash the dried shrimp and anchovies to remove excess salt.
  Then coarsely blend the items.
   

• Soak the dried chillis in hot water for some 30 minutes and then finely blend them. To obtain a smoother sambal do not include the seeds. In my preparation, I used both dried and fresh chillis (50:50).
   

• Heat up lots of cooking oil and fry up all the items above over a heat controlled to prevent burning. Stir often for the same reason.
   

• Add brown sugar to taste (you need quite a lot to offset the spiciness of the chillis).
   

• Add some tamarind juice to taste.
   

The sambal at the beginning of the frying process
 

• Continue frying for as long as need to bring the preparation to your desired degree of consistency and taste (it will evolve through time as the ingredients cook).
  The sambal will progressively turn darker in colour as frying continues.
   

• You may choose as I do to add further flavouring agents to the paste towards the end of the frying process viz. chicken stock powder; MSG; calamansi juice.
   

• Add water to the fry if the preparation appears too dry and stodgy.

This is what you should end up with:

This is an oily dish and there is no getting away from the fact. Using too little oil will cause the fry to catch and burn plus the flavour profile may not develop as well. A saving grace is that if frying is done properly until the oil "splits" from the water in the ingredients, if desired, it will be possible to spoon away much of the oil.

As today is Good Friday, I prepared this sambal to accompany a fried-fish based nasi lemak for dinner.