dried sambal paste
Sambal is a southeast Asian chili paste typically made from chili peppers, shrimp, garlic, shallots, and ginger. This recipe for a dried paste has great versatility for stir-frys, noodles, fried rice, or just about any type of dish.
One of my biggest pet peeves is complaining about the smell of foods. There are communities starving out there, yet some people have the gall to complain about the SCENT of one's NUTRITION. Here at wai lifestyle, we respect and promote foods of all cultures, which is why we never water down our recipes to make them more "palatable."
Ingredients
200g dried baby shrimp
1 tbsp tamarind paste
8 shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 bird's eye chilies, minced
2 stalks lemongrass, only the bottom 2 inches of stalk thinly sliced
1-inch piece ginger, minced
1 tsp turmeric
avocado oil
Directions
In a small bowl, soak dried shrimp in warm water until they soften. Drain and rinse. In another small bowl, strain tamarind paste with 1/4 cup boiling water and collect the tamarind juice.
In a food processor (or using a mortar and pestle), combine drained shrimp, 1 tbsp tamarind juice, shallots, garlic, chilies, lemongrass, ginger, and turmeric. Process into a chunky puree.
Heat and oil wok on high heat. Saute wet paste until it dries into a crumbly mixture. Be very careful to stir frequently and reduce heat slightly to prevent paste from burning.
Refrigerate dried paste in sterilized jar for up to 7 days.
