Ingredients for Sambal Matah |
The good news is whipping up this potent dish at home takes
little more than some elbow grease for chopping and a bit of market sleuthing
to find a couple of less common ingredients.
Sambal, broadly defined, is any chili based condiment
coming out of Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Southern India. These sauces and salads range from cooked to raw and
might include garlic, coconut, palm sugar, ginger, tamarind, and kaffir lime,
among other common regional ingredients.
Sambal Matah Marinating |
Sambal matah is a
sort of raw onion salad made of thinly sliced shallots, garlic, bird’s eye
chilies, lemongrass, shrimp paste, sugar, salt, and kaffir lime. When the flavors of this spicy salad mix and
mingle the result is a harmonious, gripping burst of Southeast Asian
flavors. In Bali I ate this by the
heaping spoon full alongside grilled turmeric chicken, fried tilapia, crispy
duck, and banana leaf steamed fish. I
wouldn’t think to stop piling on the sambal until my lips had gone numb from
the tingling spice.
Grilled Tuna with Sambal Matah |
Everything else- a pile of shallots, garlic, lemongrass,
fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, salt- is all easy to find in most markets. A little chop, chop, chop, some gentle
mixing, and quick sit to let the flavors meld together and this condiment is
ready to go.
Beyond Asian food samal
matah could pair well with smoked salmon, grilled sausages, or even a simple summer tomato salad. Bye bye, ketchup. Adios, salsa.
See ya, sriracha. My new
slather-on-everything condiment, sambal
matah, is here to stay.
Sambal Matah
Time: 30 minutes
5 slices dried Kaffir lime or 2 dehydrated leaves
8 shallots
3 cloves garlic
4-8 Bird’s eye chilies, depending on desired hotness
2 lemongrass stalks
1 ½ tsp. Vietnamese fish sauce
1 ½ limes
1 tsp. palm sugar, raw sugar, or brown sugar
½ tsp. Kosher salt
¼ cup vegetable oil
Pour hot water over Kaffir limes or leave and let sit for 10
minutes to rehydrate.
Peel shallots and thinly slice crosswise. Peel garlic and finely chop. Discard stems on chilies and finely mince.
Using the blunt edge of a chef’s knife, whack the lemongrass along the length
of the stalk to bruise. Remove tough
outer layer. Thinly slice white part of
the lemongrass. Finely mince the
slices. Into a large bowl mixt shallots,
garlic, chilies, and lemongrass along with fish sauce, the juice of 1.5 limes,
sugar, and salt. If using dried kaffir lime leaves, remove the woody spine then
finely mince remaining leaves and add to the bowl. If using dried slices, finely mince the whole
slice and add to the bowl. Stir in
vegetable oil and gently mix the shallots with the rest of the ingredients so
everything is well coated and evenly distributed. Let the mixture sit for at least a half hour before
using. Store in an airtight container in
the refrigerator for up to a week.
Amy Powell is a food and travel writer based in New York City. She is a graduate of Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration and the French Culinary Institute. Follow her on Twitter @amymariepowell
Amy Powell is a food and travel writer based in New York City. She is a graduate of Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration and the French Culinary Institute. Follow her on Twitter @amymariepowell
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