Sambal ijo
Green chilli sambal
Sambal lado mudo: Padang's coarse green chilli and green tomato sambal
Walk into any nasi Padang restaurant in Bukittinggi or Jakarta and the green sambal arrives among the stacked plates, a sharp, grassy partner to rendang, fried chicken and boiled cassava leaves. Green chillies, unripe tomatoes and shallots are steamed until soft, pounded roughly and then fried briefly in oil so they keep their pale jade colour and gentle heat. Minang cooks serve it at lunch and dinner, often scooped onto rice before anything else. Chef's tip: don't blend it smooth or fry it long; the charm is in its chunky texture and fresh green colour, which turns khaki if it cooks too hard.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 7 oz large green chilliesstalks removed
- 2 green tomatoesor firm unripe tomatoes, quartered
- 8 shallotspeeled
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp lime juice
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What you'll need
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Steam 7 oz large green chillies, 6 green bird's-eye chillies, 2 green tomatoes, 8 shallots and 3 cloves garlic over boiling water until the chillies are soft and slightly wrinkled and the shallots are tender to a knife.
10 minStep 2: Tip everything into a mortar or pulse briefly in a food processor until coarsely broken; you want visible pieces of chilli skin and tomato.
Step 3: Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in a wok over a medium heat and add the green mixture with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp sugar. Fry, stirring, just until it sizzles evenly and smells fragrant but is still bright green.
6 minStep 4: Turn off the heat and stir in 1 tbsp lime juice. Taste for salt; it should be sharp, mildly hot and savoury.
Step 5: Serve warm with rice and Padang dishes, or cool and keep in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 165 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sambal ijo take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of green 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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