Red Chili and Shallot Sambal
“If it’s not on the table, I can’t eat without it,” cookbook author Pearly Kee told Milk Street’s Albert Stumm, on the Malaysian island of Penang.
- MakesMakes about 1 cup
- Cook Time1 hour
Sambal, a fiery, aromatic chili paste, is a staple condiment in Malaysia, as well as in Indonesia and Singapore. In this simple jam-like version with the savory sweetness of deeply caramelized shallots and garlic, we use two kinds of red chilies: fruity fresh Fresnos and smoky guajillos (a type of dried Mexican chili). The recipe makes a good amount, but the sambal can be refrigerated up to two weeks. Use it on grilled fish or meat, toss onto roasted vegetables or spoon onto eggs.
Don’t leave the skillet on the burner while you transfer the fried dried chilies to the processor; they can scorch.
Step 1
In a 10-inch skillet, combine the oil and guajillo chilies. Cook over medium, stirring, until fragrant and the oil is golden, 3 minutes. Off heat, use a slotted spoon to transfer the chilies to a food processor. Reserve the skillet with the oil. To the processor, add the Fresno chilies, shallots, garlic, salt and 2 tablespoons oil from the skillet. Process until finely chopped, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 2
Add the chili puree to the oil remaining in the skillet. Cook over medium, stirring, until sizzling, then reduce to medium-low and cook, stirring more as it thickens and darkens, until jammy, darkly caramelized and has a toasty aroma, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Transfer to a small heatproof bowl. Cool to room temperature before serving, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before serving.
