Sambal is thicker and richer tasting than Mexican salsa. It ranges in spiciness. There are a number of varieties which are popular in Indonesia, including :
- Sambal Asam
This is similar to Sambal Trassi with an addition of tamarind (asam) concentrate. 'Asam' means sour in Indonesian - Sambal Bajak (Badjak)
Chili (or another kind of red pepper) fried with oil, garlic, trassi, candlenuts and other condiments (darker, richer in flavor). - Sambal mangga
Freshly ground Sambal Trassi with shredded young mango, a nice company to eat with seafood. - Sambal Balado
Minangkabau style Sambal. Chili sauteed with oil, garlic, onion, tomato, salt and lemon or lime juice. - Sambal Belacan
A Malay style sambal. Chili is pounded together with toasted Shrimp paste(belacan) in a stone mortar. Tomatoes are optional ingredients. Sometimes, sweet sour mangoes or equivalent local fruits are added. Salt, sugar and lime juice are the last items added. Eaten with cucumbers or 'ulam'(leafy herbs) in a meal of rice and other dishes. A Malaysian-Chinese version is to fry belacan with chili. - Sambal Tumis
Chili fried with belacan shrimp paste, onions, garlic, tamarind juice. Tumis means "to fry" till an aroma comes out. It may be mixed with other ingredients to produce dishes such as sambal kangkong, sambal sotong (squid) and sambal telur (egg). - Sambal Kemiri
This is similar to Sambal Trassi with an addition of candlenuts. - Sambal Manis
Chili, onions and sugar it has a chiefly sweet taste, as said by the Indonesian word 'manis' which means 'sweet'. - Sambal Trasi
Modern Indonesian is "Terasi"; it is the same as Malaysian Belacan. Red and green peppers, trassi, sugar, salt, lemon or lime juice (tangy, strong). One version omit the lime juice and has the sambal fried with pounded tomatoes. - Sambal Udang
Chili fried with oil, garlic and shrimps. - Sambal Ulek
Chili (bright red, thin and sharp tasting). Some types of this variant call for the addition of salt or lime into the red mixture. Oelek is a Dutch spelling which in modern Indonesian spelling has became simply Ulek; both have the same pronunciation. Ulek is Indonesian special stoneware derived from prehistoric household kitchenware that is still being used actively in most Indonesian kitchens, particularly in Java. It is a stone pestle (called ulekan) with a mortar (ulek-ulek) made from an old and matured bamboo root, that is used for crushing chilies, peppers, shallots, peanuts, and other kinds of ingredients. - Sambal Jeruk
Green pepper with lemon. (colourless, adds taste). In Malaysia, it is called cili (chili) jeruk. However, the lime is substituted with vinegar and sugar. Used as a condiment with fried rice and noodle based dishes. - Sambal Setan
A very hot sambal with Madame Jeanette peppers (red brownish, very sharp). The name literally means "Devil's Sauce". - Sambal Pedas Pedas
Extremely spicy sambal, with the Indonesian word 'pedas' for spicy, being used twice. - Sambal Taliwang
This variant is native from Taliwang, a village near Mataram, Lombok Island. Made from naga jolokia pepper grown specially in Lombok, garlic and Lombok shrimp paste. A kilogram of naga jolokia pepper is extracted, ground and pressed . This is mixed with ground garlic and shrimp paste, then cooked with vegetable oil.
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