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Indonesian

Sambal matah

Non-vegetarian

A raw Balinese sambal of thinly sliced shallots, lemongrass, bird's eye chillies and lime leaves, rubbed with toasted shrimp paste and lime and dressed with hot coconut oil.

Sambal matah is an Indonesian condiment, ready in about 19 minutes and made with shallot, lemongrass and coconut oil. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
4 min
Total
19 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
105

Ingredients

6 servings (about 40 g)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Slice the shallots (opens in a new tab), lemongrass (opens in a new tab) and chillies as thinly as you can, and shred the lime leaves into fine threads.

    An onion being chopped on a board
    How it looks · Photo: Christina & Peter on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Toast the shrimp paste (opens in a new tab) in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat for 1–2 minutes, pressing and turning, until dry, crumbly and strongly fragrant (open a window).

  3. Step 3

    Crumble the shrimp paste (opens in a new tab) into a bowl with the salt, sugar (opens in a new tab) and lime juice (opens in a new tab) and rub together until dissolved. Add the sliced aromatics and squeeze gently with your fingers for 30 seconds to bruise them and release their oils.

  4. Step 4

    Heat the coconut oil (opens in a new tab) in a small pan over medium heat until it shimmers, then pour it over the sambal; it should sizzle gently. Toss and taste for salt and lime.

    Food safety: Pour hot oil carefully away from you; it spits on contact with the wet shallots.

About this dish

Origin
Bali, Indonesia · Well documentedMatah means raw in Balinese. It is now eaten across Indonesia, especially with grilled chicken and fish.More food from Indonesia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Raw, No-cook
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), aromatic / warmly spiced, fresh, citrusy
Diet
Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Without the optional extras: No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Cook more with
Shallot · Lemongrass · Coconut oil · Fresh red chilli · Makrut lime leaves · Shrimp paste

Allergens

  • Contains: Crustaceansfrom shrimp paste

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

105 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 38 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 3%
  • Carbohydrate 20%
  • Fat 77%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy105 kcal274 kcal
Protein0.7 g1.9 g
Carbohydrate5.5 g14.4 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre——
Fat9.2 g23.9 g
Saturated fat7.6 g19.8 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium256 mg667 mg
Salt equivalent0.6 g1.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
128 mg
Calcium
13 mg
Iron
0.8 mg
Magnesium
10 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
1 µg
Vitamin C
6 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
13 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: sugar.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): makrut lime leaves.
  • Shrimp paste: Fish sauce (FDC 174531) at 1.5× as a stand-in salted fermented seafood condiment; protein is understated.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Some Balinese cooks use the coconut oil raw for a fresher taste; the hot-oil method softens the shallots slightly.

Common mistakes

  • Slicing thickly. The shallots should be paper-thin so they absorb the oil and lime.

Serve with

  • Ayam bakar, ayam betutu and grilled fish (ikan bakar).
  • Sate lilit and fried tempeh.
  • Stir through plain rice or nasi campur.

Food safety

  • Always toast shrimp paste before using it raw.

Storage

  • Best on the day it is made; refrigerate leftovers up to 1 day.

Variations

  • Sambal matah with torch ginger (Indonesia): Thinly sliced torch-ginger flower (kecombrang) adds a floral, sour note.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Shallot, Asian red shallots, peeled, halved and very thinly sliced120 g
  • Lemongrass, 2 stalks, outer layers removed, tender lower part very thinly sliced40 g
  • Fresh red chilli, red bird's eye chillies, thinly sliced15 g
  • Lime juice15 ml · 16 g
Used in steps 1, 3

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

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