Aruba Sambal Tomat (Tomato Sambal) is a traditional Aruban recipe for a classic Indonesian-inspired sauce or condiment made from a blend of roasted tomatoes, chillies, sugar and dried shrimp paste. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Aruban version of: Tomato Sambal (Aruba Sambal Tomat).
(click this button to prevent the screen from sleeping so Cook Mode is 'ON')
This is originally an Indonesian recipe, but like many recipes from Indonesia the Dutch brought it to the Netherlands Antilles and it's a commonly seen flavouring and condiment in Curaçao and Aruba. This is a Curaçao version. The recipe calls for dried shrimp paste, which is essential for the flavour. You can use Indonesian terasi or Malaysian balacan. The original recipe used a blend of cayenne peppers and birds eye chillies. This island version substitutes half a habanero chilli for the birds' eye chillies
Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes
8 cayenne peppers (~10cm)
1/2 habanero chilli, de-seeded
3 garlic cloves
3 tsp dried shrimp paste
2 tsp brown sugar
salt to taste
Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 230C and when hot, sit the tomatoes on a greased baking tray. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for about 10 minutes (you want the skins of the tomatoes to burst and the tomatoes to be soft).
Whilst the tomatoes are roasting chop the cayenne peppers and Thai birds' eye chillies.
When the tomatoes are done, remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
Transfer everything to a food processor. Pulse to chop then process until you get a paste. The paste may be a little runny at this point, just pour off any excess liquid.
Transfer to a jar, secure with a lid and store in the refrigerator. This is a fresh sauce so it will not keep for more than a couple of days but is always best after couple of hours.
)
Click on the image, above to submit to Pinterest.