Sambal Matah

the raw sambal of Bali: shallot, bird's eye chilli, lemongrass, and torn makrut lime leaf sliced fine, dressed with lime juice, shrimp paste, and hot coconut oil, and eaten beside grilled fish

Origin: Indonesia

From the journey of Lime.

Matah means raw in Balinese, and this sambal is the exception in a family of relishes that are almost always pounded and fried. Nothing here is cooked except the oil that is poured over it at the end, and the dish depends entirely upon the knife: the shallots must be sliced across into fine rings, the lemongrass shaved into paper-thin discs from the tender base only, the chillies cut into slivers, and the makrut lime leaves rolled and cut into threads so fine they are almost invisible. What results is not a paste but a fragrant, crunchy, fiercely hot salad of aromatics, and it demonstrates better than anything else in the archipelago what the two limes of island Southeast Asia actually do. The juice of the limau nipis, the thin-skinned key lime that arose in these islands, supplies the acid and is added raw at the very last moment; the leaf of the jeruk purut, the makrut lime, supplies a floral perfume that survives no cooking at all and must therefore be added raw as well. Sambal matah is set on the table beside grilled fish, ayam betutu, babi guling, and plain rice, and it is eaten by the spoonful rather than the smear. It is now found across Indonesia and in every Balinese restaurant abroad, but it belongs to Bali.

Ingredients

Sambal

12 whole small red Asian shallots, peeled and sliced very thinly across
10 whole red bird's eye chillies, sliced into fine slivers
3 stalk lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, tender base sliced paper-thin
6 whole makrut lime leaves, central rib removed, rolled and shredded into fine threads
1 tsp terasi (Indonesian shrimp paste), toasted and crumbled
1 tsp fine sea salt
0.5 tsp caster sugar

To Finish

3 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 2 small limes)
5 tbsp coconut oil

Method

Toast the shrimp paste: wrap it in foil and press it in a dry pan over a moderate heat for 2 minutes a side, until it darkens and smells pungent and nutty. Unwrap, cool, and crumble to a powder.
Slice the shallots across into the thinnest possible rings, separate them with your fingers, and put them in a bowl. Slice the chillies, and shave the lemongrass from the tender lower third of each stalk into paper-thin discs.
Stack the makrut lime leaves, cut out the tough central rib from each, roll them tightly into a cigar, and shred across into hair-fine threads. Add to the bowl with the crumbled shrimp paste, the salt, and the sugar, and toss well with your fingers.
Heat the coconut oil in a small pan until it shimmers and is just about to smoke, then pour it directly over the aromatics in the bowl and stir at once. It will sizzle and wilt the shallots very slightly.
Let the sambal stand for 20 minutes to settle, then stir in the lime juice just before serving. Taste and adjust for salt and acid. Serve at room temperature beside grilled fish, roast pork, or chicken, with plenty of plain rice.

Notes

Sambal matah is best on the day it is made and is genuinely poor the next, since the shallots soften and the lime leaf loses its scent; make what you will eat. The heat is authentic but frightening to some, and the chilli can be halved without harming the balance. Small red Asian shallots are markedly sweeter than the large banana shallot and are worth seeking out; if using European shallots, reduce the number and slice them even more finely. For a version without shellfish, omit the terasi and add an extra half teaspoon of salt with a squeeze more lime. In Bali the same sambal is stuffed inside a whole fish before it goes onto the coals, where the leaf and lemongrass perfume the flesh from within.

The Gastrographer

Name: Sambal Matah
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Indonesia
Ingredients: 12 whole small red Asian shallots, peeled and sliced very thinly across; 10 whole red bird's eye chillies, sliced into fine slivers; 3 stalk lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, tender base sliced paper-thin; 6 whole makrut lime leaves, central rib removed, rolled and shredded into fine threads; 1 tsp terasi (Indonesian shrimp paste), toasted and crumbled; 1 tsp fine sea salt; 0.5 tsp caster sugar; 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 2 small limes); 5 tbsp coconut oil

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control