Pounded Red Chilli Sambal with Toasted Shrimp Paste and Lime

What you need

• 1 tbsp shrimp paste (belacan)
• 6 red chillies, medium, stems removed, roughly chopped
• 2 Thai bird's eye chillies, optional, for more heat
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 tbsp calamansi or lime juice, freshly squeezed

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Press the shrimp paste into a thin layer in a small dry frying pan over medium heat.

2. 2

   Toast it, breaking it up with a spoon, until it turns dry and crumbly and smells strongly savoury, 3-5 min. Open a window first.

3. 3

   Tip the toasted shrimp paste onto a plate and let it cool for 2 min.

4. 4

   Put the chillies, bird's eye chillies, sugar and salt in a mortar and pound to a coarse, wet paste. A blender on pulse also works.

5. 5

   Add the shrimp paste and pound until it is fully mixed in. The texture should stay slightly chunky.

6. 6

   Stir in the juice a spoonful at a time, tasting as you go, until the sambal is sharp, salty and hot in balance.

7. 7

   Spoon into a jar and serve alongside rice, grilled fish or steamed vegetables. It keeps up to 1 week in the fridge.

Imported from wenthere8this.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.