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Sambal Belacan
A bottle of homemade sambal belacan (belachan) is surely a handy condiment to have in the fridge. You can add some at the side to any local dish such as fried bee hoon and fried rice. As a condiment, it makes any dish taste better. I swear I will be happy eating plain white rice with only sambal belacan! :)
Note: The more belacan (shrimp paste) you use, the darker the colour of the sambal chilli. To suit my personal tastebuds, I used more than the stated quantity in the recipe, hence the darker shade. I love adding more belacan when making this chilli for stir-fries. If using it solely as a condiment, I use less belacan, i.e. the actual quantity stated in the recipe.
You can use sambal belacan for stir-fries (pictured above), or fry it with some dried shrimps, garlic and shallots for a more Chinese version of spicy dried shrimps, or more commonly known locally as hae bee hiam. Making your sambal belachan is really easy since there is no cooking involved (except for toasting the belacan beforehand). It stores in the fridge for slightly more than a week.
You brave brave girl! That looks sooo good. I could almost smell it!
Can’t do without this! Great styling!
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I like your version of sambal belacan,less oily.I remember my mom like to make this version when we have festival..usually I like this version with fried ikan kembung and Ju hu char! just thinking make me drooling!!
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Oooo just looking at these pics makes my mouth water! Unbelievable. I love love love sambal belacan! Would love to make these once i find all the ingredients locally or when I travel to more asian populated places! I hope my angmoh neighbours will learn to appreciate the fragrance when it’s in the making! =D
I just stumbled upon your website today. Very happy to find it!
Thanks for your kind words. I hope your find the ingredients! Who knows, maybe your ang moh neighbours will learn to appreciate this condiment and next time ask you to make for them ;)
A good and less smelly way of frying is to wrap the belachan in foil first then fry. You can toast it in your toaster using this technique but as a precaution make sure you turn off the toaster first before and after toasting.
Hi, my aunt usually makes sambal belacan but she doesn’t add the limes yet. She makes a lot then keeps it in the freezer. It lasts for a long time. When you want to use it you just take some out then add the lime juice then.
sounds like a great tip for freezing sambal belacan. Thanks for sharing :)
Ooohh…. The wonderous taste and smell of the sambal belachan. It goes well with anything, even adds taste to the usually bland and awful MRE (meals ready to eat) army issue. Used to smuggle a bottle of it for jungle training during my NS days and it is really a lifesaver for someone like me who enjoys a good meal.
Hi, I failed doing the sambal Belacan. Mine turned out black !!! and taste awlful !!! pretty sad… may I ask if there is any particular brand belacan to buy ? Thank you :)