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A small bowl of sambal blachan.

Sambal Ikan Bilis Recipe

Harriet
Sambal ikan bilis is a fiery hot sauce made with dried anchovies, chillies, belacan (shrimp paste). It is a great accompaniment to many Asian dishes including Nasi Lemak. This recipe makes about 1 cup.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Sides
Servings 48 1 teaspoon servings
Calories 23 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 15 dried red chillies <-- see note 1
  • 3 red chillies – fresh or frozen
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 onion – roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon shrimp paste – or powder
  • 20 grams Ikan Bilis (dried anchovies) washed and dried <-- see note 2
  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 150 ml water
  • 2 teaspoon Tamarind paste concentrate <-- see note 3
  • 3 teaspoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste

Optional Addition

  • 4 tablespoons oil
  • ½ cup of Ikan Biliis washed and dried <-- see note 2

Instructions
 

  • Soak the dried chillies in warm water for 5 minutes to soften, then drain.
  • Blend the chillies, garlic, onion, shrimp paste and ikan bilis in a food processor to form a paste.
  • Heat the oil in a small saucepan, add the blended paste and cook on medium heat for about 6 minutes. Stirring all the time, until the colour darkens slightly.
  • Mix in the water, tamarind paste, sugar, and salt. Continue to cook and stir for another 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick and most of the liquid has reduced.
  • Adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding more salt, sugar or tamarind paste if required.
  • Store in a glass jar in the fridge.

Optional Addition

  • After you have made the sambal you can mix in some crispy ikan bilis.
  • Wash the ikan bilis, drain and pat dry with kitchen paper towel. Set aside.  Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a frying pan and fry the ikan bilis in batches until golden brown and crispy.  Remove from the pan and dry the excess oil with a paper towel.
  • The crispy ikan bilis can be added to the sambal when the sambal is cold.

Notes

1. If you want a sambal that is not too hot you can:
  • - Remove the seeds from the dried chillies before soaking.
  • - Or use the big chillies, they are not as hot as the small bird’s eye chilli.
  • - Or reduce the amount of chillies in the recipe.
 
2. Ikan bilis is very salty and washing them will help remove some of the salt.
  • - Wash them at least three times in clean water, then spread out on a tray lined with absorbent paper and pat dry.
  • -  It’s important that they are dry especially when you are frying in oil.
 
3. If you can’t find tamarind paste use 1-2 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice.
 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1teaspoonCalories: 23kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 29mgPotassium: 17mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 36IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 1mg
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