Sambal Asparagus Recipe
July 12th, 2009 | Malaysian Food, Malaysian Recipes | 22 Comments
(Gallery updated with sambal asparagus with prawns/shrimps.)
Sambal is core to many signature Malaysian recipes. In its most basic composition, sambal is a condiment or chili paste made with chilies and belacan (Malaysian shrimp paste), although other ingredients such as garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, etc. might be added to suit each individual recipe. Traditionally pounded with a mortar and pestle, sambal is the magic ingredient for numerous scrumptious local fares: sambal udang (prawn), sambal sotong (squid), sambal telur (eggs), sambal okra, asparagus, and the list goes on.
Sambal asparagus can be made with either shrimps or scallops. (I have pictures of both versions in the gallery.) For the asparagus, I simply chop off 1 inch to 1.5 inches (depending on the toughness) of the bottom stem and slice all stems into half so the asparagus cooks evenly. You can also use a peeler to remove the skin of the stems. I usually skip this step merely because of convenience…(get sambal asparagus recipe after the jump)
This is my sambal asparagus recipe, including my sambal recipe. Sambal asparagus is delicious with a lot of depth in its taste and it goes extremely well with steamed white rice. I finished two servings of rice just by drenching it with the sambal sauce. Yummy!
Ingredients:
12 oz. asparagus
4 oz. scallops or medium-size shrimps
1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons sambal paste (if you like spicy, use 2 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon fish sauce or to taste
1 teaspoon belacan (breaks into small bits)
2 tablespoons oil
Method:
Rinse the asparagus with water. Chop off 1 inch to 1.5 inches off the stems (depending on the toughness of the stems) and slice the stems into half. Cut the rest of the asparagus into 2-inch lengths. Set aside.
Heat up the wok with oil. Add the sambal (recipe below) and belacan. Stir well until you start smelling the pungent aroma of belacan. Add in scallops/shrimps and do a quick stir and then follow by the asparagus. Add fish sauce, sugar, and continue to stir fry until asparagus is cooked through (don’t overcook it). Dish out and serve hot.
Sambal (Chili Paste) Recipe:
20 dried chilies (seeded and soaked to soften)
10 fresh red chilies (seeded and sliced)
8 shallots (peeled and chopped)
4 cloves garlic (peeled and chopped)
6 tablespoons cooking oil
Method:
Use a mortar and pestle to pound the sambal ingredients or use a mini food processor to blend well. Heat up a wok with oil. As soon as the oil is heated, transfer the sambal paste into the wok and stir-fry continuously for a few minutes or until you smell the heat from the sambal or the oil separates from the sambal. Dish out and set aside. Refrigerated for future use.
Cook’s Note:
Traditionally, sambal is prepared fresh–or bought ready made from the wet market in Malaysia. It’s then used immediately to cook the dish. In the US, I always make my sambal into a chili paste so I can keep it in the refrigerator and use it on the go. I also use more dried chilies to make the sambal paste lasts longer in the refrigerator. The fresh chilies give a nice red color as dried red chilies look duller in color. I will show you the traditional way of making sambal from scratch and the proper method of making it soon!
Related Recipes:
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gosh…hmmm…i love sambal!!
I love sambal too, but it does fill my house with the after cooking smell. :(
That looks so delicious bee. I had shrimp and asparagus sambal before but i love your scallop variation. I’m a sucker for scallops. Never tried to make it myself though. Thanks for sharing your recipe! :-)
Zen – great that you like sambal asparagus. It’s lovely, isn’t it? :)
This is absolutely delicious and it’s true that sambal is the essence of any Malaysian dish. Hehe and I too probably can polish off 2 servings of rice with this. Yum!
hello bee, first, i have to say, beautiful pics and website. love it. must read everyday :)
my question is if we make the sambal paste, do we need to add balacan also? if u blend the chillies, u add water or oil? the color is really nice( red). any trick to do this?
thank you
Thanks Rachel. When you blend the chilies, there is no need to add water because fresh chilies has water, and so do garlic and shallots. I didn’t add belacan into the sambal chili paste because I prefer to add it separately during the cooking process to suit each individual recipe as some recipes call for more belacan while others a little bit. The color is from the fresh red chilies.
hi, is me again. a great question for u, i know u travel a lot plus u always go back to penang a lot.. must know lots of great restaurant, my mom is having her 60’s birthday, any suggestions for the good restaurant? buffet style? or vegetarian restaurant? thank you so much:)
Rachel – I sent you an email. Please check it out.
Hi Bee,
Your sambal asparagus recipe looks good. I am expecting now and dislike veggie. Maybe I can try this since I like spicy food. Can I use pre-made sambal?
Thanks!
Congrats on the pregnancy.
Sure, you can use pre-made sambal. :)
Your Sambal Asparagus looks really yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe for sambal paste. I love homemade chilli paste.
Thanks for your comment. The problem of making this chili paste/sambal at home is the smell. Chokingly spicy. LOL.
Oooh! This looks so good! Love sambal and I think my bottle in the fridge still has a good amount – I usually buy ready made sambal but now that I have your recipe I can try making my own :)
Joey – ready made sambal is totally fine. Yes, try it and let me know if you like it.
wah, this looks so nice! great idea..sambal, scallops and asparagus. look forward to give this a try for my fmly soon.
Nyonya – awesome. Scallops are great and plentiful in the US. I love them.
I miss using scallops in my recipes! Here, they are expensive and don’t even know how fresh it is. :(
Tiga – I think they are all so frozen dead looking…well at least in Penang, I saw some frozen ones…not too appetizing. Costco’s scallops are great, fresh, big, and succulent. :)
I am not a big fan of asparagus. But I am definitely a fan for this, yet again, wonderful recipe from you. Sambal asparagus! Who would have think of that?
This recipe goes very well with long beans too, or okras. Yummy, but with prawns are better suited for those two recipes.