Sambal Oelek
If you've got fresh red chiles and shallot, you're most of the way to this Indonesian vegan: about 45 minutes of cooking across 4 steps. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 4 steps.
You'll mainly reach for saucepan and blender. At easy difficulty across 4 steps, it's a good one for a busy evening. As written, the ingredients are plant-based.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Trim the stems from the fresh red chiles and roughly chop them, leaving the seeds in for full heat, then peel the garlic and shallot.
- Briefly blanch the chiles, garlic and shallot in boiling water for about 2 minutes to soften them and take the edge off the raw bite, then drain well and let the steam dry off.
- Pound the drained chiles, garlic and shallot in a mortar, or pulse in a blender, to a coarse and slightly chunky paste rather than a smooth puree, keeping the texture rustic.
- Work in the salt, palm sugar, vinegar and lime juice until the sugar dissolves and the sambal tastes balanced between hot, salty and tangy, then transfer to a clean jar and keep refrigerated, using within about a week.
You'll use: Saucepan Β· Blender Β· Steamer
Ingredient substitutions
- Lime
- lemon
What to serve with Sambal Oelek
- Ayam Goreng Chicken
- Ayam Penyet Chicken
- Bakso Beef
- Bubur Ayam Breakfast
Tips & common questions
How long does Sambal Oelek take to make?
About 45 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 4 steps and 7 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of lime?
Try lemon. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Sambal Oelek vegan?
Based on its ingredients, this recipe contains no meat, fish, dairy or egg, so it looks vegan-friendly. Always double-check labels on packaged items.
Related recipes
Sambal Oelek is an original Indonesian recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Sambal ulek.jpg (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.