Quick & Easy Sambal Oelek (Indonesia Chili Paste)
A delicious spicy chili sauce made with red chilies, onion, shallots, garlic, tomatoes and oil. This quick and easy sambal oelek is ready in 20 minutes! It's the perfect sauce to spice up your life!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
- 2.46 oz red chili peppers (fresh kind *See Notes below for recommended kind)
- 2.46 oz green chili peppers (fresh kind *See Notes below for recommended kind)
- 9.17 oz cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes/roma tomatoes)
- 2 shallots (halved)
- 1 small onion (quartered)
- 1 bulb garlic (peeled)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or any neutral oil )
- 4 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp lime juice (fresh)
- 3 tsp chicken bouillon powder ((aka chicken stock powder))
Instructions
- 1
Heat 2 tbsp or 30 ml vegetable oil in a large pan or wok on high heat. Add red and green chili peppers, onion, shallots, tomatoes and garlic cloves. Char them until the edges are browned.
- 2
Next transfer the charred ingredients in the pan to a blender, food processor or stone mortar and pestle. Then blend on high or pound the ingredients into a chunky paste.
- 3
Next pour the ingredients back into the pan. For the next part, I strongly recommend turning on the stove fan on high or consider cooking the paste outdoors on a portable stovetop because it's very spicy and will cause you to cough uncontrollably.
- 4
Then bring the paste to a boil on medium-high heat and stir in ½ cup or 125 ml vegetable oil, white granulated sugar, salt, lime juice and chicken powder. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes uncovered. Taste and season with more sugar, salt or chicken powder if needed.
- 5
Lastly allow the hot sauce to cool down and transfer to an airtight container, like a mason jar, for up to 7 days in the fridge. To freeze: let the sambal oelek cool down completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 5-6 months. To enjoy from frozen: thaw it overnight in the fridge and enjoy as is.