how to make sambal belacan?

Sambal belacan is a standard spicy Malaysian condiment that goes with just about everything. Sambal belacan is like a drug to spice-crazed Malaysians who need to get their tongues burnt as they savor their main courses and starters.

Belacan or pronounced as belachan (which was the old spelling), actually means dried prawn paste. The degree of saltiness varies with different brands of belacan, so it is prudent to mix the belacan in, little by little, tasting as you go along. Any leftover roasted belacan may be kept in a container in the fridge for up to two months.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh cayenne chili peppers
• 1 ½ oz belacan
• 2 oz bird’s eye chilies – optional – use this only if the cayenne chili peppers are not spicy enough
• Lime or lemon juice to taste

Preparation:

Chilies

Cut off the top bit with the stem and slice lengthwise. Remove all the seeds if you want, however, some might prefer it with the seeds as it is spicier. Cut into 1 inch pieces to make blending easier.

Note: If cayenne peppers are difficult to source, use red peppers or capsicums. These are not spicy at all, but I find that they work well when combined with bird’s eye chilies, which should be available in most Asian grocery stores.

Belacan

Cut into thin slices. Preheat oven to 450°. Place the belacan slices slightly apart from each other on a roasting pan. Roast for about two minutes or until the edges start to brown. Let it cool down before blending. Note that roasting belacan this way will make your kitchen smoky and smell strongly for some time. Leaving the windows and doors open will help to clear the odors.

Blending

1. Blend the chili well. The consistency should be as shown in the photo above, and not lumpy. The cayenne peppers that I used were not very spicy, so I added green bird’s eye chilies to increase the spiciness.
2. Add the belacan bit by bit. Stop when it tastes sufficiently salty. You may keep the rest of the roasted belacan in an airtight container in the fridge for later use.
3. The sambal belacan should taste like a nice combination of the chilies and the belacan, not too salty, with the “green” taste of the chilies not too evident.
4. Before serving, add a squeeze of lime or lemon juice.

Note: Excess Sambal Belacan should be kept frozen in a container. You may keep it in a freezer for up to 3 months. When you need some, just use a metal spoon and scrape off as much as you need from the container, and put the rest back into the freezer.