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Dabu-dabu
Dabu-dabu: Manado's fresh tomato, shallot and chilli salsa with lime and basil
Every table in Manado, North Sulawesi, has a bowl of dabu-dabu: diced tomato, shallot and red chilli with calamansi juice and lemon basil, sometimes dressed with hot oil. It is spooned over grilled food, fried tofu and the pumpkin porridge tinutuan, and its cool juiciness makes very hot chilli easier to take. Unlike Bali's sambal matah, it is built on tomato and stays chunky and wet. Chef's tip: salt the tomatoes and leave them 5 minutes before mixing, so they release juice that becomes the dressing.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Toss 3 firm ripe tomatoes with ½ tsp salt in a bowl and leave for 5 minutes.
5 minStep 2: Add 4 shallots, 6 red bird's eye chillies, 2 calamansi or lime, 1 handful lemon basil or Thai basil and ¼ tsp sugar and stir. Common mistake: blending or pounding it; dabu-dabu is chopped, never crushed.
2 minStep 3: For the Manado restaurant style, heat 2 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil until smoking and pour it over just before serving. Eat the same day.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 60 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 7 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dabu-dabu take?
- About 10 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of firm ripe tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
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