THE smell and taste of sambal are tied to comfort, home and nostalgia.
Better yet, dried shrimp sambal is a perfectly engineered explosion of flavour, scent, heat and emotion that makes my mouth water every time.
The nostalgia and emotion of this versatile condiment from South-East Asia date back to my childhood, when my mother made it (and still makes it) as a treat that can be eaten anytime of day.
Dried shrimp, like dried ikan bilis, are umami-packed treats of the sea.
Dried shrimp ‘sambal’ can be enjoyed in a sandwich. —AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
When combined with aromatics such as Indian shallots, garlic, ginger and lemongrass, you get layers of deep and rich flavours.
In this recipe, the dried shrimp sambal is used in a sandwich.
Lightly toasted white bread, slathered with butter, is ideal for this sambal, complemented with sliced cucumber.
Wholemeal or sourdough bread is also a good choice.
In Hokkien, dried shrimp sambal is called hae bee hiam (hae bee means dried shrimp, and hiam means spicy).
Other ways to enjoy this sambal is to sprinkle it on savoury porridge or eat it with rice. People also use it as a filler for buns and smoky pulut panggang.
Packed dried shrimp can be found in most supermarkets or at wet markets.
My mother’s way of preparing the dried shrimp is to soak them in room-temperature water for about 20 minutes to remove excess salt.
After draining the shrimp, spread them on a tray and let them dry in the sun. Alternatively, roast them in a low-temperature oven (about 100°C).
Some recipes do not require drying or roasting shrimp before blitzing. Not doing this, however, means you won’t get that fluffy, floss-like texture.
There are no shortcuts to cooking sambal.
Taking time to caramelise the chilli paste until the oil glistens is crucial.
It is also important not to skimp on shallots and lemongrass, as these form the backbone for the overall flavour profile and, importantly, eliminate the shrimp’s fishy aroma.
As for the chillies, store-bought chilli boh is an option, but this is usually pre-mixed with salt. My recipe is without salt.
After draining the water, the chilli seeds can be removed.
Skip this step if you, like me, want an extra spicy sambal.
Dried Shrimp Sambal
Ingredients
Spice paste
20 pods dried chillies
1 cup hot water
15 Indian shallots, roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
5cm fresh ginger, roughly chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, chopped
1 cup dried chilli water
150g dried shrimp
2 cups water
100ml cooking oil
2 pandan leaves, tied into a knot
2 tbsp asam jawa
½ cup hot water
¼ tsp sugar
3 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
Sandwich
Half a big cucumber, sliced
8 slices white bread
50g butter, softened at room temperature
Directions
If you are using an oven to roast the shrimp, preheat to 100°C.
Soak dried shrimp water for 10 minutes. Drain out thoroughly and transfer shrimp onto an aluminium foil-lined baking tray.
Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely for 10 minutes.
In a food processor or mill attachment, blitz the shrimp until it resembles floss.
Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Soak asam jawa in hot water for 20 minutes, then drain and squeeze to extract the water. Discard seeds and set aside the juice.
Soak dried chillies in hot water, cover for about 20 minutes until chillies are soft.
Remove the chillies and save the water.
In a blender, add the chillies as well as chopped shallots, garlic, ginger and lemongrass, and pour in the chilli water.
Blend until it forms a paste and then set aside.
In a wok or large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add pandan leaves.
Add the chilli paste and stir for a few minutes. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 10 minutes. Be careful not to let the paste burn.
Add in the asam jawa juice and stir. Add sugar.
Stir and mix well.
Cover and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes until caramelised and oil rises to surface.
Add dried shrimp floss, and stir until everything is well combined.
Toss in sliced kaffir limes leaves and stir. Turn off heat and transfer to a serving bowl.
Assemble the sandwich with a generous amount of shrimp sambal and a few slices of cucumber.
More photos
The ingredients to make dried shrimp sambal to be used in a sandwich.
Chilli water from the soaked dried chillies is used to blend the paste for smoother consistency.
The dried shrimp is roasted in a 100 degree Celcius oven.
The chilli spice paste is cooked in oil on medium heat.
Dried shrimp sambal is a perfectly engineered bomb of flavour, scent, heat, and emotion.
