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Sambal roa
Smoked fish sambal
Sambal roa: Manado's smoky sambal of flaked smoked garfish and chilli
Manado families in North Sulawesi keep sambal roa in the cupboard the way others keep jam, and visitors leave with jars of it as a souvenir. Ikan roa, a garfish split and smoked on bamboo racks until dry, is flaked and fried with a mountain of chillies, shallots and lemongrass into a deep, smoky relish that turns plain rice or tinutuan porridge into a meal. Outside Indonesia, smoked mackerel gives a similar result. Chef's tip: pick through the fish carefully for fine bones before frying; once it is mixed into the sambal they are almost impossible to find.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the fish
- 5 ½ oz smoked garfish (ikan roa)or smoked mackerel fillets, skin removed
For the paste
- 3 ½ oz large red chillieschopped
- 8 shallotspeeled
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tomatochopped
To cook
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 stalk lemongrassbruised and knotted
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: If using whole roa, soak it in hot water for 5 minutes to soften, then pat dry. Flake 5 ½ oz smoked garfish (ikan roa) finely with your fingers, removing every bone and any skin.
8 minStep 2: Blitz 3 ½ oz large red chillies, 10 bird's-eye chillies, 8 shallots, 5 cloves garlic and 1 tomato to a coarse paste.
Step 3: Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in a wok over a medium heat and fry the fish flakes until crisp at the edges and fragrant. Lift them out with a slotted spoon.
4 minStep 4: Add the chilli paste, 1 stalk lemongrass and 3 kaffir lime leaves to the same oil and fry, stirring often, until it darkens and the oil begins to separate.
15 minStep 6: Remove the lemongrass and leaves, cool and pack into a clean jar with its oil on top. Keep in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sambal roa take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- 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 shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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