The Condiments Of Indonesian Cuisine

The Condiments Of Indonesian Cuisine. It is a common misconception amongst visitors to Indonesia that food throughout this massive country is spicy and that every dish is prepared with excessive amounts of chili. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is not the dish itself that is spicy, it is the condiment.

During my numerous travels across Indonesia, I visited many areas that rarely use chilies in their cooking, as they were not grown there. Instead, very mild dishes are produced that would definitely suit a Western palate.

The same can be said about Balinese cooking, which has the unwarranted reputation of being fiery hot. Whenever I tell Balinese people that I cook Balinese food for a living, they automatically ask me if I can eat spicy food and whether the dishes I prepare are as spicy as those prepared in a Balinese home.

The answer, of course, is ‘yes’ and not only at home but also in our restaurants.  So how did the myth that  Indonesian food is spicy originate?

The answer lies in the condiments that are always served on the side, together with the dishes in the center of the table. These condiments can be fiercely hot, and this is what has given Indonesian food the reputation of being a very spicy cuisine.

To do justice to the great condiments of Indonesian and Balinese cuisine, I have dedicated an entire section in this book to them. I should point out that it does not matter whether you serve a dish that originates from Maluku with a Sumatran condiment.

A grilled chicken from Lombok tastes sensational when served with yellow pickles from Flores and baked tomato sambal from West Sumatra. We also highly recommend that you serve these great condiments not just as part of your next Indonesian meal but also consider them for your next barbecue of Western-style grilled fish or steaks.

Peanut Sauce (Base Satay)

In most tourist hotels and restaurants, this sauce is served together with satay as a dipping sauce. The Balinese themselves would never serve a dipping sauce with their satay, but instead, provide a condiment of salt and chopped chilies.

Nevertheless, we cannot publish recipes on Indonesian cuisine without including peanut sauce. The sauce is not used for meat dishes but as a dipping sauce for vegetables.

Serves: 2
Preparation time: 10 min
cooking time:20 min

Peanut Sauce (Base Satay) Ingredients

• 500 g raw peanuts with skin, deep-fried or roasted golden brown
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 8-10 bird’s eye chilies, finely sliced
• 10 g ginger, peeled and very finely sliced
• 10 g galangal (laos), peeled and finely sliced
• 1-litre coconut milk
• 20 g palm sugar, chopped
• 4 Tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
• 2 kaffi r lime leaves, torn
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 Tbsp fried shallots
• salt, to taste

Peanut Sauce Preparation

1. Combine peanuts, garlic, chilies, ginger, and galangal in a food processor or stone mortar and grind finely.
2. Place ground ingredients in a heavy saucepan together with three-quarters coconut milk, palm sugar, and sweet soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the sauce from sticking. Should the sauce become too thick, add the remaining coconut milk and, if necessary, a little more water.
3. Add lime juice and sprinkle with shallots just before serving as a dipping sauce for satay. Season to taste with salt.

NOTE
It is almost impossible to precisely define the amount of coconut milk or water needed in a recipe. Every time we prepare this sauce, the quantities used will vary slightly. Do the same at home and gradually add more liquid as needed.

Chilli Tomato Sauce

Indonesians love chilies in their food and often use what would be considered an excessive amount by Western standards. Chilies grow in Indonesia and come in many colors, shapes, and sizes. They can be as tiny as a baby’s finger or as long as 20 cm. When buying chilies, check that they are very firm to the touch, shiny, smooth-skinned, and the stems must be green or red, and crunchy.

It is best to use chilies immediately after they have been harvested and avoid storing them for extended periods in the refrigerator as this will intensify their spiciness and change their natural, crisp, clean flavor and aroma. The Indonesian cook mostly uses three types of chilies with the level of spiciness inversely increasing with the decreasing size of the chili. Always wear gloves when handling chilies wash your hands and all surfaces that have come into contact with the chilies.

• 75 ml of coconut oil
• 100 g shallots, peeled and sliced
• 20 g garlic, peeled and sliced
• 200 g large red chilies, halved, seeded and sliced
• 50 g bird’s eye chilies
• 2 Tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
• 1/2 tsp dried prawn (shrimp) paste (terasi), roasted
• 200 g tomatoes, roasted, peeled and seeded
• salt, to taste
• 2 Tbsp lime juice

1. Heat oil in a heavy saucepan over moderate-high heat.
2. Add shallots and garlic and sauté until golden.
3. Add chillies and continue to sauté until chilies become soft .
4. Add sweet soy sauce and prawn paste, and continue to sauté for 2 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes and continue to sauté until tomatoes are soft . Set aside to cool.
6. Grind in a stone mortar or purée coarsely in a food processor.
7. Season to taste with salt and lime juice.

NOTE
Make certain to cook all ingredients over high heat while continually mixing. This will preserve the nice, crisp, red color of the mixture. To peel the tomatoes, quickly roast them over an open gas flame or over a barbecue, which will make it easier to remove the skins. The smoky flavor that the tomatoes then develop adds a pleasant aroma and is especially tasty when served with grilled seafood.

Spiced Tomato Sauce (Saus Pedas Tomat)

Anything grilled tastes delicious with this sauce. The amount of bird’s eye chilies specified in this recipe is only an indication of how we like the sauce: mildly spicy. Add more chilies for a spicier sauce.

• 150 g large red chilies, halved, seeded and sliced
• 5-7 bird’s eye chilies, finely sliced
• 20 g ginger, peeled, sliced and finely chopped
• 75 g shallots, peeled and sliced
• 20 g garlic, peeled and sliced
• 3 Tbsp coconut or vegetable oil
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, bruised
• 1 salam leaf
• 60 g red onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 150 g tomato, grilled, peeled, halved, seeded and diced (keep liquid)
• 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
• salt, to taste
• 2 Tbsp lime juice 

1. Combine chilies, ginger, shallots, and garlic in a stone mortar or food processor and grind into a very fine paste.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add ground spices, lime and salam leaves and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add onions and continue to sauté over medium heat for 2 more minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and oyster sauce, mix well and sauté for another 2 minutes.
4. Add tomato juice from the seeds and bring back to a simmer.
5. Season to taste with salt and lime juice.

Spicy Chilli Sauce (Sambal Pedas)

Prepare this delicate but fiery sauce as and when it is needed. If prepared in advance, the fragrance of the lime juice and lemon basil will quickly dissipate. The sauce tastes just as delicious when prepared with green chilies.

• 100 g large red chilies, halved, seeded and sliced
• 100 g bird’s eye chilies, sliced
• 50 g shallots, peeled and sliced
• 1 pinch salt + more to taste
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 3 Tbsp roughly chopped lemon basil (kemangi) 

1. Combine chilies, shallots, and salt in a stone mortar or food processor and grind into a fine paste.

2. Add lime juice and lemon basil and grind again for an additional 1/2 minute.

3. Season to taste with salt

Almond Sauce (Sambal Kenari)

A terrific dressing with grilled-smoked fish or meats, or as a basic dressing for a tasty vegetable salad, sambal kenari is a very popular condiment on the island of Ternate of the Spice Islands.

• 50 g shallots, peeled and sliced
• 3-5 bird’s eye chilies, finely sliced
• 100 g almonds, blanched and peeled
• 100 g tomatoes, grilled, peeled, seeded and diced
• 2 Tbsp sliced lemon basil (kemangi)
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• salt, to taste

Combine shallots, chilies, and almonds in a stone mortar or food processor and grind into a coarse paste. Add tomatoes and lemon basil and grind to mix. Season to taste with lime juice and salt.

Chilli Shallot Dressing (Sambal Rica Kering)

Addictive with grilled fish and meats, the flavor really develops when blended with a generous helping of steamed rice.

• 6 Tbsp coconut oil
• 100 g shallots, peeled and sliced
• 100 g large red chilies, halved, seeded and finely sliced
• 7-9 bird’s eye chilies, finely sliced (add more if you like it very spicy)
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised, very finely sliced and then chopped
• 1 Tbsp turmeric water (very concentrated, see page 61)
• salt, to taste.

1. In the frying pan, heat the oil until smoking. Add shallots and fry until golden.

2. Add chilies and lemongrass and continue to fry for 1 more minute over high heat.

3. Add turmeric water and fry for another 30 seconds.

4. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt

Shallot and Lemon Grass Dressing (Sambal Matah)

Another way to make this delicious dressing is to heat the oil in a saucepan, then cook all ingredients for 5 minutes over medium heat, or until the sauce is fragrant. Let it cool to room temperature before serving. Blend sambal matah and sambal tomato from Bali and serve with grilled fish.

• 100 g shallots, peeled, cut into halves and finely sliced
• 100 g lemongrass, bruised, finely sliced and chopped
• 30 g bird’s eye chilies, finely sliced
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp finely crumbled prawn (shrimp) cake, roasted
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 4 Tbsp coconut oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Combine the ingredients in a deep bowl and mix thoroughly for 5 minutes.

2. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Shallot-turmeric Coconut Cream Dressing (Sambal Acar)

This dressing is delicious with grilled fish and addictive with smoked fish.

• 150 g shallots, peeled and sliced
• 60 ml of coconut cream
• 200 ml seafood stock (page 46)
• 50 ml turmeric water
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• salt, to taste

1. Combine shallots, coconut cream, seafood stock and turmeric water in a saucepan and simmer over very light heat until sauce lightly thickens.

2. Season to taste with lime juice and salt.

NOTE

To make turmeric water, combine ½ water and ½ turmeric peeled and finely sliced in a food processor or stone mortar and grind into a fine paste. Strain the paste through a fine sieve.

Yellow Chilli Sambal (Lombok Kuning)

This unique condiment goes well with the hearty beef soup. A key ingredient is a carrot and the ingredients are first boiled in chicken stock.

• 1-liter chicken stock (page 44)
• 300 g large red chilies, halved, seeded and sliced
• 50 g bird’s eye chilies, whole
• 150 g garlic, peeled and sliced
• 150 g carrots, cut into halves and finely sliced
• 1 tsp white sugar salt, to taste
• 2 Tbsp lime juice 

1. Bring chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan. Add chilies, garlic, and carrots, and continue to simmer until ingredients are soft.

2. Purée in a food processor into a smooth sauce.

3. Pour the sauce back into the saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer until sauce lightly thickens.

4. Season to taste with sugar, salt, and lime juice

Green Tomato Anchovy Sauce (Sambal Hijau)

If you are reluctant to use dried anchovies or have difficulties finding them, then simply remove them from this simple recipe. However, if you are a big fan of this type of sundried seafood, then I would highly recommend giving it a go for this particular recipe. The flavor of crispy, fried tiny anchovies comes through very subtly and elevates the taste of the sauce. Keep in mind that dried anchovies are very high in umami and adds a tremendous amount of flavor. The sauce is delicious with grilled fish and many kinds of stews. If green chilies and green tomatoes are not available, replace them with red ones and follow the same preparation.

• 100 g large green chilies
• 5-7 small green chilies
• 50 g shallots, peeled
• 40 g garlic, peeled
• 100 g green tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp dried prawn (shrimp) paste (terasi), roasted
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, crushed to taste
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 50 g dried anchovies, deep-fried until crisp

1. Combine chilies, shallots, garlic and tomato, and steam for 10 minutes.

2. Cut large chilies lengthwise into halves and remove seeds and skin of tomatoes.

3. Place steamed ingredients into a stone mortar or food processor and grind coarsely.

4. Add prawn paste and blend well.

5. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lime juice.

6. Garnish with dried anchovies.

Baked Tomato Sambal (Sambal Tomat)

Incredibly tasty, not too spicy and with a balanced sweetness that works so well with any type of grilled foods, this has to be one of the best tomato sambals that I have sampled in Indonesia. Fish, prawns, chicken or even beef steaks taste better with this delectable sauce.

• 5 Tbsp coconut oil
• 20 g garlic, peeled and sliced
• 60 g large red chilies, halved, seeded and sliced
• 5-7 bird’s eye chilies, sliced
• 1/4 tsp salt + more to taste
• 40 g shallots, peeled and sliced
• 100 g cherry tomatoes, peeled and halved
• 2 Tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 30 g dried anchovies, deep-fried until crisp

1. Combine 2 Tbsp coconut oil, garlic, chilies and 1/4 tsp of salt in a stone mortar or food processor and grind into a very fine paste.

2. Add the remaining coconut oil into a frying pan and heat. Add shallots and ground spices and sauté for 2 minutes over moderate heat until fragrant.

3. Add tomatoes and continue to sauté until tomatoes are soft and well cooked.

4. Add sweet soy sauce, lime juice, and season to taste with salt.

5. Just before serving, add dried anchovies and mix well.

Vegetable Dressing (Sambal Plecing)

This is a terrific dressing that complements any green vegetables, including water spinach, spinach, fern tips, bean sprouts, green beans or any other greens that may need a flavor boost.

• 6-8 bird’s eye chilies, finely sliced
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes, grilled, skin removed and seeded
• 1/2 Tbsp dried prawn (shrimp) paste, roasted
• salt, to taste
• 75 ml vegetable or chicken stock.

Combine all ingredients in a stone mortar or food processor and grind into a paste. Season to taste with salt and adjust stock if necessary.

Pickled Vegetables (Acar Mentah)

Vegetables are never eaten on their own except as accompaniments to rice, and they are never eaten raw. People of Flores do not eat salads of raw vegetables except for slices of raw cucumber. Few homes have refrigeration and there would be no way to keep raw vegetables fresh for any length of time. Vegetables are always eaten well-cooked and limp or soft. As with all accompaniments to rice, vegetables are usually put in a separate dish and placed next to the cooked rice. People prefer to eat them warm, but they often do not because they eat whenever they choose to since there is no set mealtime.

• 200 g cucumbers, peeled, halved, seeded and diced
• 200 g carrots, peeled and sliced into matchstick-sized pieces
• 100 g long beans, sliced into 3-cm lengths
• 100 g green mango, peeled and sliced
• 100 g pineapple, peeled and diced
• 50 g shallots, peeled and quartered
• 10 bird’s eye chilies, whole

DRESSING

• 250 ml (1 cup) white vinegar (rice, wine or cider)
• 250 ml (1 cup) water
• 250 g white sugar
• 50 g ginger, peeled and crushed
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
• salt, to taste

1. To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside and cool.

2. Combine the remaining ingredients and dressing and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours. 

Tomato Chilli Dressing (Sambal Tomat Mentah)

Adjust the level of spiciness by adding as many or as few small chilies to suit your liking.

• 6 Tbsp coconut oil
• 100 g shallots, peeled and sliced
• 4-7 bird’s eye chilies, finely sliced
• 200 g tomatoes, grilled, peeled, seeded and diced
• 4 Tbsp lime juice
• salt, to taste

1. Heat oil until very hot in a frying pan.

2. Add shallots, chilies, and tomatoes and mix well. Remove pan from heat.

3. Add lime juice and season to taste with salt.

Tomato Sambal with Petai and Anchovies (Sambal Lado Tanak) 

Many people find petai beans smelly and horrible tasting, while the smell and flavor of dried anchovies (ikan bilis) have been described as akin to dead fish. However, once you have tried fresh petai beans and dried anchovies and looked at some of the nutritional facts, you will have lots of fun experimenting with these two unusual ingredients. Research has proven that just two servings of petai provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. Petai also helps to overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions and is a must for the health-conscious.

• 150 g shallots, peeled and sliced
• 30 g garlic, peeled and sliced
• 250 g large red chilies, halved, seeded and sliced
• 5-7 bird’s eye chilies, finely sliced
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil
• 100 g petai beans, blanched
• 375 ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 125 ml of coconut cream
• 100 g dried anchovies, deep-fried until crisp
• salt, to taste.

1. Combine shallots, garlic, and chilies in a stone mortar or food processor and grind into a very fine paste.

2. Heat oil in a saucepan, add the ground paste and sauté over medium heat until fragrant.

3. Add petai beans, stock, and coconut cream and simmer paste to a creamy consistency.

4. Add dried anchovies, blend well and season to taste with salt

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