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Recipes / Malaysian

Malaysian

Sambal Belacan

Toast belacan until crumbly, pound it with fresh red chillies and bird's eye chillies into a coarse paste, then season with salt, sugar and kalamansi lime juice; about 20 minutes for a small bowl.

Sambal belacan is the fiery, pungent table relish that goes with almost every Malaysian rice meal: fresh red chillies pounded with toasted shrimp paste and brightened with kalamansi lime. It takes minutes to make and keeps for a week, so there is always some in the fridge to go with fried fish, raw vegetables (ulam), nasi lemak or a simple plate of rice and egg. Toasting the belacan first makes it crumbly and deepens its flavour.

Sambal belacan in a stone mortar with a pestle, with halved kalamansi limes and fresh red chillies beside it Start cooking mode

Ingredients

  • 20 g belacan (dried shrimp paste)
  • 10 fresh red chillies, roughly chopped
  • 6 bird's eye chillies (cili padi), optional, for extra heat
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 4 kalamansi limes, halved, or 2 tbsp lime juice

Method

  1. Wrap the belacan in foil, flatten it into a thin disc and toast it in a dry frying pan over low heat for 3 minutes per side, until fragrant, dry and crumbly. Open a window: it is pungent.
  2. Unwrap the belacan and pound it in a mortar and pestle into fine crumbs.
  3. Add the red chillies and bird's eye chillies a few at a time and pound for about 5 minutes into a coarse paste.
  4. Stir in the salt and sugar and taste. Spoon into a small bowl and squeeze the kalamansi limes over just before serving.

Tips

  • Blender method: blend the toasted belacan, chillies, salt and sugar with 1 tbsp water in short pulses until coarse, not smooth.
  • Milder: remove the seeds from the red chillies and leave out the bird's eye chillies.
  • Storage: without the lime juice, sambal belacan keeps for 1 week in a clean jar in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer. Add the lime juice when serving.
  • Serve with: fried fish, fried chicken, nasi lemak, omelette, or raw cucumber, long beans and other ulam.

Questions

What is belacan?

Belacan is a firm block of fermented, dried shrimp paste. It is very pungent raw and turns savoury and rich once toasted.

How do I toast belacan without a strong smell indoors?

Wrap it tightly in foil before toasting it in a dry pan, or bake the foil parcel at 180°C for 10 minutes. Some smell is unavoidable, so open a window.

Can I make sambal belacan in a blender?

Yes. Pulse the toasted belacan, chillies, salt and sugar with 1 tbsp water until coarse. A mortar and pestle gives a better texture.

How long does sambal belacan keep?

Without lime juice it keeps for 1 week in a clean jar in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer. Add the lime juice when serving.

Is this sambal belacan halal?

The recipe is pork-free and lists no alcohol. It is not halal-certified: check that the belacan carries halal certification.

A Dada Cooking original recipe. Quantities are metric first, with US amounts in brackets.