Tomato Sambal - Versatile, Sweet & Spicy

Recipe: Tomato Sambal Recipe »

This easy tomato sambal recipe is sweet, savoury and mildly spicy. Learn how to make authentic Indonesian sambal tomat to use in nasi goreng, soups, sandwiches, marinades and dipping sauces. A flavour packed condiment and a chef's recipe to produce restaurant quality results!

About This Tomato Sambal

Tomato Sambal or Sambal Tomat is one of the many Indonesian sambals that is endlessly versatile and can be used a dipping sauce, marinade or flavour booster for recipes. It has a sweet and savoury flavour to it is milder and sweeter than really spicy sambals like sambal oelek. I learned how to make this tomato sambal at the fantastic cooking class at RIMBA by AYANA by Chef Oky.

Why You'll Love Tomato Sambal

The sweetness really tempers the chilli beautifully. If you love sweet chilli sauce then you'll love tomato sambal!

It is easy to make using simple to find ingredients (however you may have to look for shrimp paste at your Asian grocery store).

It's the secret ingredient in Nasi Goreng! Seriously! Your nasi goreng will totally pop with this.

It's great added to soups, spread on sandwiches or wraps or mixed with mayonnaise for a dip!

It's great for gifting. I often see sambal oelek in stores but tomato sambal is a bit harder to find!

How To Use Tomato Sambal:

Try it on sandwiches like these chicken meatball subs or Choripan.

On a chicken noodle soup or Pho.

Use it over eggs.

Add it to seafood and chicken and grill!

Use it on sushi rolls

Serve it with fried chicken

As a dip for crudites or vegetable platters

Video How To Make Tomato Sambal

Video: Tomato Sambal Recipe

Tips For Making Tomato Sambal

1 - This sambal recipe is easy once the ingredients are prepped and chopped.

2 - It's important to remove the seeds from the chillies - don't worry the sambal will already be spicy enough as it is! I wear prep gloves for removing chilli seeds just in case.

3 - A medium dice is perfect for all ingredients. You don't need to finely dice the ingredients as they will go into a food processor or mortar and pestle to crush up. But you don't want huge chunks just so that it cooks through easier.

4 - Chef Oky showed me how to blend this up on a cobek (Balinese mortar) which is a shallow plate style mortar and pestle but if you don't have a mortar and pestle you can place it in a food processor or Thermomix.

Tomato Sambal Recipe

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Recipe Overview

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Makes 1 x 450g/1lb jar

Ingredients Needed

• 80ml/2.8 fl oz oil (canola, sunflower, coconut or extra virgin olive oil)
• 80g/2.8oz shallots, peeled and sliced
• 40g/1.4oz garlic cloves, peeled and diced
• 60g/2oz large red chillies, topped and seeds removed, chopped
• 3 small birds eye chillies, topped and seeds removed, chopped
• 450g/1lb tomatoes, diced or thinly sliced
• 2 makrut lime leaves (also called kaffir lime leaves)
• 20g/0.7oz shrimp paste (or belachan)
• 50g/1.7oz palm sugar, cut into small chunks (can use white sugar)
• 1 lime
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 SAUTE - Heat the oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic and two types of chillies and fry for 4-5 minutes stirring frequently until onions and chillies are soft and fragrant. Add the tomatoes and lime leaves continue frying until soft and broken down and saucy.

Step 2 SEASON - Add the shrimp paste and palm sugar to the pan and stir to combine. Remove from heat and squeeze lime juice over the sauce. Place in food processor or mortar and pestle and blend briefly. Thermomix: turbo 2 seconds. Season with salt and white pepper. Scoop in a jar.

This sambal can also be processed for preserving. See canning instructions here (step 4). It will last for 1-2 years in a dark pantry.

Notes:

Shrimp paste or belachan differs according to the country it originates from and the shrimp varieties used. It can be sold as a dark brown block of hard paste (Indonesia or Malaysia) or it can be sold as a pink grey spoonable sauce (eg from Vietnam) or a bright red (Philippines). Although the flavour may be slightly different it will taste great with both! Generally the darker the colour the stronger the flavour.