Sambal oelek
Vegetarian
Sambal ulek
The simplest Indonesian sambal: fresh red chillies pounded with salt and a little vinegar or lime into a coarse, fiercely hot paste for cooking and the table.
Sambal oelek is an Indonesian condiment, ready in about 20 minutes and made with fresh red chilli and white vinegar. It serves 16 and is rated easy to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Serves
- 16
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 7
Method
Step 1
Roughly chop the chillies on a board, wearing gloves.
Step 2
Pound the chopped chillies with the salt in a mortar, a handful at a time, until crushed into a coarse, juicy paste with visible seeds.
Food safety: Wear gloves, and keep your hands away from your eyes; chilli oils linger on skin.
How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels Step 3
Stir in the vinegar and sugar (opens in a new tab), if using, then spoon into a clean jar.
About this dish
- Origin
- Indonesia · Well documentedNamed after the ulekan, the stone pestle it is ground with.Also popular in Malaysia, NetherlandsMore food from Indonesia
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Sauces
- Cooking method
- Raw
- Taste
- spicy (chilli heat), salty, fresh
- Diet
- Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carbWithout the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Paleo-style, No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · DASH-style - Good for
- Budget-friendly · Make-ahead
- Cook more with
- Fresh red chilli · White vinegar
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.
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
7 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 16 g · recipe makes 16
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 16%
- Carbohydrate 73%
- Fat 12%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 7 kcal | 41 kcal |
| Protein | 0.3 g | 1.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 1.4 g | 8.5 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 1.1 g | 7 g |
| Sugars | 0.8 g | 5.1 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 0.2 g | 1.4 g |
| Fat | 0.1 g | 0.4 g |
| Saturated fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 220 mg | 1353 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 3.4 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 50 mg
- Calcium
- 2 mg
- Iron
- 0.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 4 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 8 µg
- Vitamin C
- 22 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 4 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.
- “—” 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
- A food processor works — pulse rather than blend to keep the coarse texture.
Common mistakes
- Blending it smooth — sambal oelek should be coarse with visible seeds and skin.
Serve with
- Stir into fried rice, noodles, soups or stir-fries; base for other sambals.
- Serve with fried chicken, tofu or tempeh.
Storage
- Refrigerate in a clean jar for up to 2 weeks.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Goes with
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
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.
Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.
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