Sambal Ikan Bilis for Nasi Lemak

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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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

1. 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.


2. Blend red chillies, dried chillies, shallots, garlic and belacan in a blender till smooth.


3. Using the same pan add another 2-3 tbsp of oil and saute the blended chilies till fragrant on medium fire.


4. Add in the onion and continue to saute till onion is soft, toss in the fried anchovies and mix well.


5. 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.


6. Sprinkle some salt to taste.


7. Squeeze some lemon or lime over it for a tangy taste before serving.