Sambal banjar

Ingredients for 10 servings:

• 4 tbsp oil
• 8 onions, small red
• 4 medium-sized garlic cloves
• 20 Pepper, red and mild
• 4 m.-large tomato(s), fully ripe
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 6 g chicken broth, granulated
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 8 g shrimp paste (terasi)
• Salt to taste

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 5 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

A sweet, spicy and medium-hot sambal

All solid ingredients should be cut to about the size of a hazelnut. Peel the small red onions first, then quarter them. Halve the tomatoes first, then remove the green stems and split the tomato halves. Be sure to wash the chilies and remove the green stems. After chopping, wash your hands with soap. The shrimp paste is available in Asian stores in blocks starting at 50g. It’s worth choosing branded products, as cheaper products mainly contain fish. The paste contains about 20% salt, which should be taken into account when using it. Heat a medium-sized pan or wok. Add the peanut oil and, when hot enough, fry the onions, garlic, and chilies until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown. Meanwhile, blend the tomatoes until the liquid is smooth. Use this to deglaze the toasted ingredients. Add the lemon juice, chicken stock, sugar, and shrimp paste, mix well, and simmer for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. While the ingredients are still warm, puree them in a blender on the lowest setting until you have a smooth paste, although small pieces should still be visible. Season with salt and the sambal banjar is ready. In an airtight container with a 5 mm layer of oil on top, the sambal will keep in the refrigerator for up to 20 days. I froze the amount made with this recipe in an ice cube tray and kept the rest in a small screw-top jar in the refrigerator for daily use. The recipe cannot be reasonably reduced to a smaller amount. All of the essential ingredients are only available in larger quantities than required here. Note: This medium-spicy sambal is added to everything fried (gorengan) throughout Indonesia: e.g., wontons, spring rolls, pieces of chicken à la KFC, etc. You can get it with your meal at every snack bar (warung) or restaurant if you order rice (nasi putih). By adding plenty of one of the following components you can create different flavors: Sambal banjar bawang putih – a garlic sambal Sambal banjar serai – a lemongrass sambal Sambal banjar terasi – a shrimp sambal Sambal banjar tomat – a tomato sambal, which is also sold as kecap tomat pedas – a spicy tomato ketchup. Sambal Raja Banjarmasin, which is produced in the city of Banjarmasin, has become famous throughout Indonesia. It differs from this recipe in that it uses a not quite ripe mango and a small red chili.