~ * ~ I Love Sambal !!! ~ * ~

Sambal is good! For those who have never heard of it, or don't know what sambal is, kindly click on this --- SAMBAL. It is one of those dishes that can be used to mix and match with quite a lot of other food. Well, not dessert I supposed :P

For Malaysians like me, who have been staying in Ukraine for at least 10 months a year, to miss it is definitely very ordinary. So some students here had smartly used the cheap sales of chilli during summer season well, because during this season the chilli is sold much much cheaper, as compared to the winter season.

As mentioned in some of the earlier post, during the winter season, chilli price may spring to as high as 100-200uah per kg. Whereas in summer, the price can be as low as 15uah per kg (for the time being, it's about RM6.50). If you were lucky, sometimes even 8-9uah per kg of fresh chilli and still in very good condition. So, a lot of us bought like 1-2 kg and prepare the chilli paste which is then kept in the freezer for winter use. Yeah, just like squirrels storing food! Hehehe

Do not belittle this frozen chilli paste! Although it may take up some of your refridgerator space, it is of many good use. It not only saves your money during winter, it also saves your precious time in preparing dishes with chilli paste. Just scrape a little bit of it and cook your favourite curry chicken, or perhaps asam ikan, or even anchovy sambal for your nasi lemak. Isn't it wonderful?

To prepare the paste is as easy as ABC. Well, of course, you can't expect to have the serai, belacan and stuffs which you can easily get in Malaysia. But, the basic ingredients you can get anywhere in the world would be sufficient enough for this preparation.

Ingredients :
Onion
Garlic
Chilli
Ginger (optional, I don't really use them)

Hmm, exact amount? Well, my mum always thought me to "agak-agak" (estimate yourself). And I really keep this in mind. :P So, you agak-agak yourself lah! But, if I am not mistaken, I think 1kg chilli with about 500g onion and maybe 2-3 bulbs of garlics.

Chilli --- cut them into sections, don't forget to remove the seeds. Remember also to wear gloves, maybe double-layered, otherwise you might regret. :D

Remove the skin of garlic and onion and cut them into smaller cubes (ginger too if you are using them). Then blend them together with a blender until they form paste.

Heat the pan with oil. Pour in the paste and stirfry the paste until it changes in colour. If you have belacan, stirfry them before the paste is poured in. Do constantly stir them, otherwise they may stick to the pan and burnt. Add sugar or salt if desired (I don't do this, as I always flavour them only when I am cooking individual dishes later on)

Then cool them completely and package them into smaller amounts in plastic bags/air-tight packets. Store them in the freezer.

Below are just some pictures of the sotong sambal I have prepared by using the home-made frozen sambal paste. And as I have mentioned in previous post, I love to eat it with bread, like sandwich; a spread of butter and some cucumbers.