Quick & Easy Sambal Oelek (Indonesia Chili Paste) Recipe
This quick and easy Sambal Oelek recipe delivers a vibrant and spicy Indonesian chili paste made from fresh peppers, tomatoes, and aromatics, perfect for adding a flavorful kick to your dishes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 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
- Heat ingredients: 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.
- Blend or pound: 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.
- Return to pan: 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.
- Cook paste: 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.
- Cool and store: 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.
Notes
- See Notes below for recommended kind of fresh chili peppers to use.
- Turn on stove fan on high or cook outdoors during the spicy cooking step to avoid coughing.
- Freeze for longer storage up to 5-6 months; thaw overnight in fridge before use.
Keywords: Sambal Oelek, Indonesian chili paste, spicy chili sauce, homemade sambal, chili condiment
