Sambal Oelek!
Sriracha's been getting a lot of love lately, but I have to confess-- I think I like the flavor and heat of Sambal Oelek even better! (I'm currently eating dinner consisting of cucumbers drizzled with rice vinegar and S.O., and brown rice with a healthy dollop of same.)
Any other Sambal Oelek lovers out there? I'd be curious to hear how people use it, and whether they use it interchangeably with Sriracha or differently-- and if you treat them differently, why?
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12 Comments:
It's about time Sambal Oelek get its due! :). I use it both as a condiment and a cooking ingredient.
I prefer Sambal Oelek over Sriracha because it has a more straightforward chili flavor, which makes it more versatile as a cooking ingredient. As an ingredient, you can add a dollop of it (or more, according to how spicy you want it) to stir-fried dishes, stews, soups, etc. during the cooking process. If you ever make Asian-style fried rice, try adding it to the oil shortly after the garlic, before mixing in the rice. Try adding it to BBQ sauce for an extra kick!
We Indonesians use Sambal Oelek as a condiment on almost everything. There's usually a small bowl filled with this fiery red concoction at every meal :) I know Indonesians who'd smear them on pizzas!
When I was living in southern California, there was always a jar of it in my fridge (thankfully available in most major American supermarkets and of course, Asian ones), but since I moved back to Jakarta, this sambal ("chili paste/sauce") is simply made fresh in the traditional way: by oelek/ulek ("hand ground in a stone mortar & pestle").
Have fun experimenting with it!
cucumberpandan at 4:28AM on 07/15/09
Sambal is one of those Asian products that I can use interchangeably with other ethnic cuisines; and it's my heating agent of choice for my salsa.
When everyone else is dipping their dumplings into dumpling sauce, I'm reaching for the sambal. Deliciously fresh heat.
therealchiffonade at 5:54AM on 07/15/09
I add it to my peanut butter sauce, hubby likes it on scrambled eggs.
DELICIOUS at 10:26AM on 07/15/09
@cucumberpandan-- i think indonesia just shot to the top of my list of travel destinations!
foodphilo at 10:52AM on 07/15/09
I've always thought Sambal had a good kick, but not with enough extra flavor. I really like the Chili Garlic Sauce made by Huy Fong. It has the nice texture and heat of the Sambla Oelek, but with a more zingy flavor.
Zachary at 1:23PM on 07/15/09
+1,000 to sambal olek. I love the texture and vinegary taste, and the fact that it's not sweet like sriracha. Though I will admit to the fact that I thought they were the same thing until a slightly misguided purchase about 6 months ago. I'd always used sambal but was lured in by the squeeze bottle applicator of sriracha. I should've looked closer at the bottle(s) that I bought, but live and learn, I guess.
Kerosena at 1:38PM on 07/15/09
@Kerosena-- exactly! I was really surprised, when I went to compare ingredients, to see that sugar is the second ingredient in sriracha (the first ingredient in both is chiles; there's no sugar in sambal apparently).
foodphilo at 3:09PM on 07/15/09
Sambal Olek rocks. We were in Indonesia last year and brought back six small plastic bottles of it. It goes on eggs now, mixed into chicken salad, most everything.
luvstoeat at 9:53PM on 07/15/09
ditto on finding sugar in the sriracha.... a real turn-off.... though it tasted pretty good.... trying to get me hooked? hey????
need a new bottle of something hot -- will try sambal olek next....
pooch at 11:23PM on 07/15/09
I like sambal olek, but it's different than sriracha. Because of sambal olek's tartness, I find that I can't use it universally in all dishes like I can with sriracha. I find the sweetness of sriracha more compatible with most foods.
BooRadley at 11:38PM on 07/15/09
@foodphilo: come on, down! ... and taste countless varieties of chili sauces people eat here on a daily basis (Sambal Oelek is just one of 'em).
There are plenty of great food here worthy of a culinary adventure! :) You are welcome to check out my food blog focusing on Indonesian cuisine.
cucumberpandan at 2:24AM on 07/16/09
I like it better than Sriracha and put it over everything. My love to use it in chicken/tuna/shrimp salads: mayo, sambal olek, a squeeze of lime, add some green onions and celery, then chicken/tuna/shrimp. Toss to coat and eat!
lorelei76 at 11:49AM on 07/21/09