5 from 18 votes
Sambal Oelek Chili Paste
Sambal Oelek is a fresh chili paste made by pounding red chilies with salt and rice wine vinegar to create a thick, slightly chunky sauce. The removal of chili seeds allows control over heat level. This small-batch paste captures the bright, spicy flavor of red chilies and can be prepared traditionally by mortar and pestle or quickly in a blender, retaining some texture for a balanced paste.
Prep Time
2 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Servings:
1
person
Calories:
55 kcal
Course:
Side Dish
Cuisine:
Asian, Indonesian
Ingredients
- 3 red chili 50g/ 1.76 oz) This makes 3 Tablespoons of sambal. Wash, cut into smaller pieces and remove as many seeds as possible. Do NOT touch your eyes after handling chilies!, big
- 1¼ teaspoon rice wine vinegar Substitute: calamansi lime juice, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt coarse
Instructions
- Traditional :Using a mortar and pestle
- Wash, dry and cut the chilies into smaller pieces. (The smaller you cut them, the easier it is to blend.)Note: the seeds make the chili paste hotter, so remove as many as possible.
- Pound them with the salt.
- Drizzle the vinegar as you pound, till everything has formed a thick paste. Refer to the video above if necessary.Note: it took me 10 minutes to pound 3 large chilies, which makes about 3 Tablespoons (50g/ 1.76 oz.) The more chilies you pound, the longer it will take. Don't try to pound too many at once or it will be counterproductive!
Cup of Yum
Faster: using a blender or food processor
- Cut the chilies (with a scissors or knife) then blend with the the vinegar and salt. Do not over-process as the ground chili sauce has a bit of a chunky texture. It should not be totally smooth!
Notes
- Do not touch your eyes after handling fresh chilies to avoid irritation and burning sensation.
- This recipe yields about 3 tablespoons of sambal oelek from 3 large red chilies.
- Store the chili paste in a sterilized jar in the refrigerator and use within one week, discarding if mold appears.
- To increase quantity, simply multiply the ingredient amounts accordingly, noting it will take longer to pound larger batches.
Nutrition Information
Calories
55kcal
(3%)
Carbohydrates
12g
(4%)
Protein
3g
(6%)
Fat
1g
(2%)
Saturated Fat
0.1g
(1%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.3g
(2%)
Monounsaturated Fat
0.03g
(0%)
Sodium
594mg
(25%)
Potassium
435mg
(9%)
Fiber
2g
(8%)
Sugar
7g
(14%)
Vitamin A
1285IU
(26%)
Vitamin C
194mg
(216%)
Calcium
20mg
(2%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1 person
Amount Per Serving
Calories 55
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 55kcal | 3% |
| Carbohydrates | 12g | 4% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 1g | 2% |
| Saturated Fat | 0.1g | 1% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.3g | 2% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.03g | 0% |
| Sodium | 594mg | 25% |
| Potassium | 435mg | 9% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin A | 1285IU | 26% |
| Vitamin C | 194mg | 216% |
| Calcium | 20mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.