Recipe - Mixed Spice Relish (Sambal Bajak)

Stephen Ceideburg
10 Red chillis
1 sl Terasi
10 Shallots
5 Cloves garlic
3 Kemiri (candlenuts)
3 tablespoon Vegetable oil
Salt
1 teaspoon Brown sugar
1 cup Thick santen (coconut milk)

This is a hot relish, and to make it all the ingredients have to be pounded
together. If you do this in a mortar, try to keep the mixture off your
fingers as much as possible if you have sensitive skin; it is not only your
tongue that can feel the effects of a strong chilli. Sambal Bajak will keep
for a long time in an air tight jar, and lose none of its fierceness.

Take the first five ingredients abovethat is, the chillis, terasi,
shallots, garlic, and kemiriand pound them all together into a fine paste.
Alternatively, mince them first as fine as you can and then put them in a
liquidizer. Saute them in the vegetable oil for a few minutes, then add the
salt, sugar and santen. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, and finish by cooking
on a high flame, stirring continuously, for 1 minute.

Let the sambal cool before you store it. It can be served hot or cold, and
can be reheated many times without impairing the flavour. If you have used
a mincer and liquidizer during the preparation, wash them several times in
hot water and with plenty of detergent before you use them for anything
else.

From "Indonesian Food and Cookery", Sri Owen, Prospect Books, London,
1986." ISBN 0907325297.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini