Sambal sits next to the sriracha and the chilli sauce and tends to be used as though it were the same thing. That is a misunderstanding, and it is why many people use sambal wrongly. Sambal is not one sauce, and the name on the jar actually tells you how the contents were made.
Oelek is a method, not a chilli
This is the key: oelek, also written ulek, is not the name of a chilli variety. It comes from Indonesian, where ulekan is the mortar and ngulek is the movement itself when you grind in it. Sambal oelek therefore means roughly crushed in a mortar. The name describes the method.
That is why the Indonesian original is simpler than you think. Traditional sambal ulek is fresh red chillies and a little salt, ground together in a mortar, and nothing more. No vinegar, no sugar, no cooking. The jars we buy in Europe are an industrial version of the same thing: cooked, acidified with vinegar and made to keep in the fridge for months. Both work, but the European one is milder and more sour.
Sambal is a whole family
In Indonesia there are well over a hundred named sambals, and they are a fixed accompaniment to the meal. Some types are worth knowing:
- Sambal oelek: fresh chillies and salt, neutral and versatile. This is the one you find most often in Norway.
- Sambal terasi: with fermented shrimp paste, heavy and salty, with deep umami.
- Sambal badjak: cooked at length with shallots and garlic, dark, slightly sweet and mild.
- Sambal matah: raw, from Bali, with finely sliced shallot, lemongrass and coconut oil.
How to use it
Sambal oelek is a base seasoning, not a finished sauce. It is best taken into the heat: fry a tablespoon in oil at the start of a stir-fry and it loses its raw edge and gives colour and warmth to the rest. Stirred straight into a finished sauce it comes out sharp and flat.
The classic Indonesian combination is sambal and kecap manis, the thick, sweet soy sauce. Together they give the sweet and hot balance that carries dishes such as nasi goreng and satay. A teaspoon of sambal and a tablespoon of kecap manis in fried rice or noodles is enough to make it taste Indonesian rather than merely hot.
Keep the jar in the fridge once opened and use a clean spoon, and it will last for months.
Sambal against sriracha and gochujang
Sambal is coarsely ground chilli with little sugar. Sriracha is smooth, sweet and tangy and belongs on the table more than in the pan. Gochujang is Korean, fermented with rice and soya beans, thick and sweet-salty. The three cannot be swapped for one another. More types are under hot sauce, and the whole Indonesian range under Indonesia.
Frequently asked questions
What is sambal?
An Indonesian chilli paste, or more precisely a whole family of chilli pastes. The basic form is ground chilli and salt, and there are over a hundred regional variants.
What does sambal oelek mean?
Roughly crushed in a mortar. Ulekan is the mortar in Indonesian, and ngulek is the movement you make when grinding. The name says how it was made, not which chilli was used.
What can be used instead of sambal oelek?
Coarsely chopped fresh red chilli with a little salt comes closest. Sriracha is sweeter and thinner and has to be adjusted for with less sugar elsewhere in the dish. Chilli flakes in oil can work in hot dishes.
Where is sambal from?
Indonesia, and it is a fixed accompaniment in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei too. The Dutch colonial period is the reason sambal has been known in Europe for a long time.
