Javanese Sambal Bajak (Javanese Hot Sauce) is a traditional Indonesian (from the island of Java) recipe for a classic hot sauce made from a blend of chillies, tomatoes, shallots, garlic and shrimp paste in a oil base with sugar. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Indonesian dish of: Javanese Hot Sauce (Javanese Sambal Bajak).
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Sambal is a spicy condiment found across Indonesia (and Malaysia and Singapore), with countless regional, cultural, and personal variations. This is the recipe from the Indonesian island of Java, which is a slightly toned down version as the chillies are cooked.
Ingredients:
120ml neutral oil (such as grape-seed oil), divided
300g chopped tomatoes
65g fresh red Kashmiri or other mild red chiles, chopped
70g shallots, chopped
70g garlic, chopped
40g fresh red Thai chiles, sliced
1 tsp terasi (fermented shrimp paste)
1 tbsp light brown sugar or palm sugar
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
Method:
place a wok or large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of the oil and use to fry the tomatoes, Kashmiri chiles, shallots, garlic, and Thai chiles, stirring often, until mixture is tender and dry and starts to stick to bottom of pan (about 13–15 minutes). Transfer the mixture to a large dish-shaped mortar (such as an Indonesian cobek and ulekan).
Add the terasi and crush with the other ingredients using a pestle until the mixture is mostly smooth but still has a little texture (about 5 minutes).
Heat 6 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Stir in the crushed tomato mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture sizzles (about 2 minutes).
Reduce the heat to medium-low then stir in the brown sugar, salt, and granulated sugar. Cook, stirring often, until chilli mixture turns a shade darker and oil becomes saffron-coloured (about 7 minutes). Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
Sambal bajak can be made well ahead and will keep in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
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