Will sambal from different regions have different flavour profiles? 
Definitely! Mainly, the availability of ingredients contributes to the different flavour profiles of sambals in the region. For example, fermented sambals or cooked sambals like sambal belado are very popular in Indonesia probably because of the history of the people. The Minangkabau people are known for being sailors and travellers in search of work, so the long commute would mean food needs to last for long periods of time. 

Are there any misconceptions about sambal you wish to correct? 
Sambal should not be sweet! It needs to have a nice balance of salt, fat, acid and heat. Having enough acid would bring out the flavour and sweetness of the sambal. 

What are your favourite sambals and why? 
My favourite sambal is sambal belado because I grew up eating ayam goreng belado, and it simply reminds me of being ten years old in my mother’s kitchen. I make a more fancy version for raya by using beef tallow and lots of kaffir lime leaves to enhance the flavour.

INGREDIENTS

• 2.5-cm knob ginger, peeled
• 1 head garlic, peeled
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 stalks lemongrass
• 5 kaffir lime leaves
• 500g red chillies, coarsely chopped
• 100g bird’s eye chillies, coarsely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped (optional)
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt to taste

METHOD

1. Place ginger and garlic in a food processor and blend until a smooth paste forms. You may have to add a dash of water if the paste is too thick.
2. Heat oil in a medium wok over heat. Do not add too much oil because you do not want an oily sambal. Sauté ginger-garlic paste until fragrant and spices are tempered well. Add lemongrass and lime leaves, then cook for 5–10 minutes on low heat. 
3. Add both chillies to the wok and continue frying until everything is well combined. If you prefer a less spicy sambal, add tomatoes and fry for 20 minutes. 
4. Add lime juice and season well with salt. 
5. Serve as a condiment or add fried chicken to the sambal. This sambal is very versatile; it goes with lots of proteins such as prawns, fish and grilled beef. It can also be stored in a jar and kept in the back of the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium red onions, peeled
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3cm knob ginger, peeled
• 1 tbsp dried anchovies (ikan bilis), rinsed and drained
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp dried chilli paste
• 1 tsp dried prawn paste (belacan)
• 1 tsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste

METHOD

1. To prepare the sambal, place onions, garlic, ginger and dried anchovies in a blender and blend until a smooth paste forms. You may have to add a dash of water to help the blending.
2. Heat oil in a medium pot. Once the oil is hot, sauté spice paste until it has been tempered, or when the oil starts to separate from the spices. As with all Malay recipes, a well-tempered spice paste helps flavours develop nicely. 
3. Add dried chilli paste and dried prawn paste, then fry over low heat for 3–5 minutes before adding tamarind paste, sugar and salt. If you’d like to add a protein, such as boiled quail eggs, grilled prawns or fish balls, add it in now. 
4. Fry for another 3–4 minutes, or until the proteins are cooked.

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