When chiles hit hot oil with shrimp paste and garlic, the whole kitchen wakes up. This Sambal Badjak Recipe gives you a fried Indonesian chile paste with heat, depth, and a soft, rounded finish.
It is spicy, yes, but also savory, lightly sweet, tangy, and rich from candlenuts and creamed coconut.
Why You Want to Make This
This sambal badjak is for the days when you want more than plain heat in your dish. The chiles bring the fire, the shrimp paste gives a deep savory flavor, and the candlenuts make the paste richer. Brown sugar and tamarind pull everything into balance.
The creamed coconut is the quiet little trick here. It makes the sambal smoother, and creamier, without taking away the heat. Spoon it next to fried rice, grilled chicken, satay, noodles, eggs, or anything that needs a bold kick.
What You Need
- Fresh chiles: The base of the sambal and the main heat. Use red chili or red jalapeño chiles for a milder sambal. Add Thai chiles if you want more heat.
- Onions: Add sweetness and body.
- Garlic: Gives the paste a deeper savory flavor.
- Shrimp paste: Adds the strong, salty, umami flavor sambal badjak is known for.
- Candlenuts: Make the sambal richer and slightly nutty. You can use macadamia nuts or cashews as a substitute.
- Brown sugar or palm sugar: Rounds out the heat. Palm sugar gives a deeper flavor, but brown sugar works well.
- Tamarind paste: Adds tang, so the sambal does not taste flat.
- Creamed coconut: Softens the edges and makes the sambal rounder.
- Lemongrass: Adds a fresh, citrusy note.
- Boiling water: Helps melt the creamed coconut and loosen the paste.
- Sunflower oil: Used to fry the chile paste.
- Salt: Brings the flavor into balance.
How to Make It
- Step 1: Add the chiles, candlenuts, onions, garlic, shrimp paste, and brown sugar to a food processor. Pulse until finely ground, with a little texture left.
- Step 2: Heat the sunflower oil in a pan. Add the chile paste and fry for 5 minutes, stirring often. The paste will darken slightly and smell deeper.
- Step 3: Add the tamarind, lemongrass, creamed coconut, and boiling water. Stir well and cook for 5 more minutes, until the creamed coconut melts into the sambal.
- Step 4: Remove from the heat and let the sambal cool. Spoon into a clean jar and refrigerate for 1 day before using.
Top Tips
- Fry the paste first: This takes away the raw edge from the chiles, onion, and garlic and gives the sambal deeper flavor.
- Use palm sugar if you have it: It gives a deeper caramel taste, but brown sugar works well too.
- No food processor?: Use a mortar and pestle. It takes more muscle, but the texture is beautiful.
- Let it rest for 1 day: The chiles, shrimp paste, tamarind, sugar, and creamed coconut taste better once they have had time to settle together. Use a clean jar: It keeps the sambal fresher in the fridge.
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Sambal badjak recipe with chiles, shrimp paste, candlenuts, tamarind, and creamed coconut. Spicy, savory, and better after 1 day.
Recipe Help
Two easy tools to make cooking even easier. Cooking mode keeps the screen on. The easy-step recipe displays the recipe step by step, including the ingredients needed. And you can adjust servings easily
Ingredients
- 10½ oz fresh chiles, roughly chopped
- 3 candlenuts
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, halved
- 2 teaspoons shrimp paste
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar , or palm sugar
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
- ¼ teaspoon lemongrass
- 2 tablespoons creamed coconut
- 7 tablespoons boiling water
- Salt, to taste
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Add the chiles, candlenuts, onions, garlic, shrimp paste, and brown sugar to a food processor.10½ oz fresh chiles, 3 candlenuts, 2 onions, 2 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons shrimp paste, 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- Pulse until finely ground. The mixture can be quite fine, but a little texture is nice.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a pan.2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- Add the ground chile mixture and fry for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the tamarind paste, lemongrass, creamed coconut, and boiling water.1 teaspoon tamarind paste, ¼ teaspoon lemongrass, 2 tablespoons creamed coconut, 7 tablespoons boiling water
- Stir well and cook for 5 more minutes, until the creamed coconut has melted and the sambal is thick and glossy. Season with salt to taste.Salt
- Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Spoon into a clean jar. Refrigerate for 1 day before using.
Notes
1. What is sambal badjak? Sambal badjak is a cooked Indonesian chile paste made with chiles, aromatics, shrimp paste, sugar, and other seasonings. Because it is fried, it tastes deeper and rounder than a simple raw chile paste.
2. Is sambal badjak the same as sambal oelek? No, sambal badjak is not the same as sambal oelek. Sambal oelek is usually simpler and more chile-forward, while sambal badjak is cooked with extra seasonings like shrimp paste, sugar, and tamarind.
3. What chiles should I use for sambal badjak? Use red chiles you like and can find easily, such as Fresno, red jalapeño, cayenne, or Thai chiles. Fresno or red jalapeño will be milder; Thai chiles will make it much hotter.
4. Can I make sambal without a food processor? Yes, you can make sambal with a mortar and pestle. It takes longer, but it gives the paste a lovely texture.
5. What can I use instead of candlenuts? Macadamia nuts are the closest easy substitute for candlenuts. Use the same amount and cook them with the sambal paste.
6. Storage
- Refrigerator: store sambal badjak in a clean jar in the fridge. Clean spoon: use a clean spoon every time, and use the sambal within 1 week for the best flavor.
- Freezer: freeze in small portions for up to 3 months.
- Thawing: thaw in the fridge before using.
Nutrition
Calories: 529kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 10gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 216mgFiber: 4gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 1420IUVitamin C: 224mgIron: 3mg
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