Sambal terasi (chilli paste)

Isn't cooking in a way similiar like music ?

Note that works together - sounds that blended together - rhytem that helped it flow !  As it is ingridients that blended together - handled in various way into  a food with that "harmonized" taste !

Indonesian, the 16 thousand something islands with 200 million population indeed have a very rich culture which result a various way of making & eating foods.

There're Padang , Sunda, Medan, Bali , Jogya , Manado , Madura , Palembang , Lombok, Ambon, Irian, Nusatenggara, Pontianak ,Cirebon Jakarta....- I just stopped here as there are too many - these different region have their own food - imagine how rich are the country !

I think Indonesian cooking involves a lot of raw spices ,herbs & seeds - a mortar pestle is an important instrument.  It often emphasis the strong taste & aroma as shrimp or fish paste ( a fermentated fish or shrimp) - we call it "terasi" , in other asian region is "balacan" . (For other version you could use a a crushed deep fried shrimp head or a dried small shrimp).

One of the favourite things is the sambal - a chilli paste for accompanying hot steam rice with dishes as sea food, poultry or vegetables.  Trying to describe it, here is the rough recipe...but please do checking accross the internet for a more detail one - just click "sambal terasi" or just sambal.

Basically it's a mixture of chilli, garlic & shallots made into a paste. A combination of hot & excotic flavour ! Add with some balacan or terasi or a shrimp /fish paste - there goes a strong taste & smell add in !

You can use it raw but i often cook the chilli , garlic & shallots in a hot cooking oil until the flavour is released - not too long ! Move them into a mortar pestle for grinding & mixing add - make it into a paste  - there goes the basic paste of chilli paste !

Take a small amount of terasi or balacan, or the shrimp paste or if you want a stronger smell, grill it ! Add ,grind & mix it to the chilli paste - there goes you Sambal terasi ! If you can find the terasi, try to fry the shrimp head until it's crisp and crush it finely !

Off course there so many variation for your creativity such as add tomatoes , brown sugar , tamarind , curry things, coconut milk, lemon grass, lemon , fruit, lemon leaves...it's up to you as the arranger !

Or you could use other method such as grill, boil, stir fry , or just used a raw ingriedients , (or combination )...it's just so many ways to make just a chilli paste ...amazing .huh...?? 

Care to try ????