Don't we all Malaysians love a hot plate of nasi lemak (coconut milk rice) with kick ass sambal ikan bilis (dried anchovies in chilies paste) on any given day??? I do! I must confess that nasi lemak is indeed one of my favourite dish and I must have it as often as I can! I used to wallop 2 packets a day during my pregnancies... which is highly dangerous! :lol: The fat content from the coconut milk is pretty high so it could cause a string of problems for preggers.
What make nasi lemak so irresistable is definitely the sambal. The sambal is the STAR... some like it mild but most like it HOT! Personally I like it HOT and SOUR! I am drooling now as I am typing this! :D
A box of nasi lemak here is selling for AUD$5.50 and only for one portion. With that amount... well, maybe around AUD$8, I can feed the entire family for 2 meals. The only thing is, it is pretty labour intensive. So, if I were to crave for nasi lemak but wanted to observe my health, I will cut away the coconut cream rice and just make do with the sambal. Just a dollop of a kick ass sambal is good enough for me to clean an entire bowl of rice!
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What make nasi lemak so irresistable is definitely the sambal. The sambal is the STAR... some like it mild but most like it HOT! Personally I like it HOT and SOUR! I am drooling now as I am typing this! :D
A box of nasi lemak here is selling for AUD$5.50 and only for one portion. With that amount... well, maybe around AUD$8, I can feed the entire family for 2 meals. The only thing is, it is pretty labour intensive. So, if I were to crave for nasi lemak but wanted to observe my health, I will cut away the coconut cream rice and just make do with the sambal. Just a dollop of a kick ass sambal is good enough for me to clean an entire bowl of rice!
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Ingredients
- 200 gm Dried anchovies (washed and dried)
- 2 medium Onions (sliced)
- 1 tbsp Tamarind paste
- ¾ - 1 cup Hot water (depending on your preferred thickness)
- Salt to taste
- Oil for frying
Blend
- 10 pcs Red chilies
- 4 pcs Dried chilies - soaked (I used more as I like it HOT!)
- 4 no. Shallots
- 4 pips Garlics
- 1" Roasted belacan (dried shrimp paste)
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Method
- Heat up 3-4 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and fry the anchovies over medium fire till golden brown and crunchy. Removed from pan and let it soak on a kitchen towel.
- Blend red chillies, dried chillies, shallots, garlic and belacan in a blender till smooth.
- Using the same pan add another 2-3 tbsp of oil and saute the blended chilies till fragrant on medium fire.
- Add in the onion and continue to saute till onion is soft, toss in the fried anchovies and mix well.
- Use the hot water to soften the tamarind paste. Sieve the tamarind juice over a sieve into the pan little by little till the chilies and anchovies mixture is thicken over low fire.
- Sprinkle some salt to taste.
- Squeeze some lemon or lime over it for a tangy taste before serving.
