Sambal

Sambalis anIndonesianchili sauceorpaste, typically made from a mixture ofchilli pepperswith secondary ingredients such asshrimp paste, garlic, ginger,shallot,scallion,palm sugar, andlime juice.Sambalis anIndonesianloanwordofJavaneseorigin (Javanese:ꦱꦩ꧀ꦧꦼꦭ꧀sambel).
In addition toIndonesian cuisine, sambal is also an integral part of the cuisines ofSingapore,Malaysia,Brunei, andSri Lanka.It has also spread throughoverseas Indonesian populationsto theNetherlandsandSuriname.
Different sambal recipes are served as hot and spicycondimentsfor dishes,such aslalab(raw vegetables),ikan bakar(grilled fish),ikan goreng(fried fish),ayam goreng(fried chicken),ayam penyet(smashed chicken),iga penyet(ribs), and varioussotosoups. There are at least 212 variants of sambal in Indonesia,most of which originate inJava.
Sambal is often described as a hot and spicy Indonesianrelish.However, its main ingredient,chili pepper, is not native to Southeast Asia but originates in theAmericas. Common variants used in sambal recipes includeCayenne pepperandbird's eye chilipepper (both varieties ofCapsicum annuum). These variants are native to the Western Hemisphere and were introduced to the Indonesian archipelago in the 16th century by Portuguese and Spanish sailors during theColumbian exchange.
Researchers note that the people of theMaritime Southeast Asiawere already familiar with a type of hot and spicy relish prior to the 16th century. A hot spice calledcabyahad become a valuable commodity in the Javanese market as early as the ancientMataram Kingdomera, circa the 10th century.The 14th century Majapahit JavaneseNagarakretagamamanuscript mentionslombok mirahisland which is identified asLombokisland, which is also the area that produced a spice called redlombok. In today's modernJavanese, the termlombokrefers to 'chilli pepper', yet the term probably originally referred to a native hot spice prior to the introduction of capsicum. TheIndonesian languages' terms for 'chilli pepper' arecabaiorcabe, yet the wordcabyais mentioned in several ancient inscriptions and texts found in Java from the 10th century CE.Cabyais actually a reference to the Javanese long pepper or Balinese long pepper (Piper retrofractum).Historians suggest that prior to the introduction of Capsicum from the Americas in the 16th century, it was cabya that was widely used and cultivated as a hot spice in Java.Cabya is still used in Java, but the overwhelming popularity of the capsicum plants eventually pushed out cabya consumption until it was only used in traditional herbal medication and in makingjamu(Javanese traditional herbal drink). Nowadays, the plant is considered rare.Another historian suggests that it wasgingerthat was used as a hot spice agent in the ancient form of sambal. Ginger, cabya, andandalimanare among the earliest hot spices used in early sambal-like hot relish, followed by the introduction ofpeppercirca 12th century from India, and finally the introduction of chili pepper from the Americas in the 16th century.
The Javanese manuscriptSerat Centhini(1819–1912) records sixteen sambal variants in Java.The recipe book Mustika Rasa (1967), written and composed by HartiniSukarno, presented 63 recipes of sambals.In 2017, Murdijati Gardjito, a food researcher fromGadjah Mada University, identified hundreds of variants of sambals in Indonesia; 212 of them have a clear origin, while 43 have an unclear origin.Java has the most of variants with 43 percent of sambal variants, 
Sumatra has 20 percent, Bali and West Nusa Tenggara has 8 percent, and the rest are distributed between Maluku, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi.
Like many culinary introductions and adaptations in the archipelago, over the years this hot and spicy relish branched off into an assorted array of sambal varieties, localised according to regional taste and the availability of the ingredients. Today sambal is a staple of Southeast Asian households, essential in cuisines of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Traditional sambals are freshly made using traditional tools, such as a stonepestle and mortar. Sambal can be served raw or cooked. There are two main categories of sambals in Indonesia, they aresambal masak(cooked) andsambal mentah(raw). Cooked sambal has undergone a cooking process that resulted in a distinct flavour and aroma, while raw sambal is mixed with additional ingredients and usually consumed immediately.Sambal masakor cooked sambals are more prevalent in western Indonesia, whilesambal mentahor raw sambals are more common in eastern Indonesia.
The chilli pepper, garlic,shallot, and tomato are often freshly ground using a mortar, while theterasiorbelacan(shrimp paste) is fried or burned first to kill its pungent smell as well as to release its aroma.Sambalmight be prepared in bulk, as it can be easily stored in a well-sealed glass jar in the refrigerator for a week to be served with meals as a condiment.However, some households and restaurants insist on making freshly prepared sambal just a few moments prior to consuming to ensure its freshness and flavour; this is known assambal dadak(lit. 'impromptu sambal' or 'freshly made sambal'). Nevertheless, in mostwarungand restaurants, most sambal is prepared daily in bulk and offered as a hot and spicy condiment.
Today some brands of prepared, pre-packed, instant or ready-to-use sambal are available in Indonesia inwarung, traditional markets, supermarkets, and convenience stores. Most are bottled sambal, with a few brands available in plastic or aluminiumsachetpackaging. Compared to traditional sambals, bottled instant sambals often have a finer texture, more homogeneous content, and thicker consistency, liketomato ketchup, due to the machine-driven manufacturing process. Traditionally made sambals ground in a pestle and mortar usually have a coarse texture and consistency. Several brands produce bottled sambals such asHeinz ABCsambal terasiand several variants of sambalIndofood.In the Netherlands a range of pre-packed sambals in glass or plastic jar is readily available from several brands (national and store brands) from almost all supermarkets andtokos.
The most common kinds of peppers used in sambal are:
In the Indonesian archipelago, there are as many as 212to 300 varieties of sambal.The intensity ranges from mild to very hot. Some varieties include:
Sambols in Sri Lanka differ from those originating in Malaysia and Indonesia, in that they are generally made from uncooked ingredients, such as fresh chillies, shallots, coconut, garlic, which are then ground with a mortar and pestle  and mixed with a citric acid, such as lime or lemon juice. They resemble a Mexicansalsaor Laotianjaew.
JaffnaTamils makecampalthat is more close to achutney.
Sambalcan also be used as an ingredient to a dish, which uses a large amount of chili peppers. The dishes started with the termsambal gorengmeans "fried sambal" dishes. It refer to stir fried sambal mixed with certain ingredients such assambal goreng kentang(potato),sambal goreng hati(liver),sambal gorengkrechek(cow's skin),sambal goreng teri(anchovy), etc. InPadang cuisine, any dishes started withbalado-(lit: with chili pepper) indicate thesambal-mixed dish. Dishes bearing the wordsambalinclude: