Ben found a pack of belachan in the store room. I must have bought it a while ago but reluctant to cook it as it will stink up the apartment.
Ben decided to use it to make some Sambal Belachan with Dried Shrimps as a condiment for rice or noodle dishes. We love sambal belachan but making it at home will require me to burn a lot of scented candles to get rid of the smell.
Ingredients
- 50g dried shrimps (soaked in 1 cup of water, reserved soaking liquid)
- 200g shallots
- 30g garlic
- 20g ginger
- 1/4 cooking oil
- 25g dried chili – hydrated (deseeded if you do not want it to be too spicy)
- 150g fresh chili (deseeded if you do not want it to be too spicy)
- 4 stalks of lemongrass (use white part only)
- 50g dried toasted belacan
- 1/2 cup cooking oil
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Another reason Ben is able to make the sambal belachan is we managed to find fresh red chilies in the groceries stores like T&T.
Source: Spice N’ Pans
Instructions
Keep a bottle of white vinegar open at all times in the kitchen and that will take away the smell of all types of cooking
Yes, I have a bottle of white vinegar on my stove all the time.