10fresh red chillies about 150g /5.3 oz (see notes below or in the post)
5red birds eye type chillies
Everything Else
1large underripe mango (but not green)peeled flesh weight about 250 g, give or take (8-9 oz)
1Tbspvegetable or peanut oil
1tspwhite sugar
½tspsalt
60mlwater
½Tbspfresh lime juice
Instructions
Toasting the Shrimp Paste
Place the shrimp paste in a small frying pan on medium-low heat to roast. Flatten it as much as you can to get as much of the surface area roasted as possible; it will stick to the back of your spatula. Just scrape it off and add back to the pan.
Turn the heat down to low and roast for about 3-5 minutes. Flip it over halfway. If it's in bits, as much as possible. You’ll start getting a really strong odour, and when you think you can’t take it anymore, it’s done!Seriously though, when your shrimp paste has taken on a slightly lighter shade, you can stop. Don't worry about getting every part of it crispy. Take it off the heat and leave aside.
Preparing the Chilli Paste and Mango
Peel and quarter the shallot, and add to the chopper.
Roughly chop up the chillies into 2-3 pieces and place in the chopper. If your birds eye are quite small, drop them in whole.
Tip the shrimp paste into the chopper and chopper everything to a fairly fine paste. You shouldn't need any water.
Peel and chop the mango into little cubes, as you can see in the images on this post. I seem to have not got a picture of this stage, but you can see the mango size in the final 2 steps in this recipe.
Let's make the Sambal!
Heat the oil on medium heat in your chosen pan. I used a small saucepan. Fry the chilli and shallot paste for 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and fry for another 3 minutes, until it's dry and glistening. Frying the chilli paste for a good few minutes allows it to take on a deeper flavour and not have the raw chilli taste.
Add the sugar, salt and water and bring back to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes until the water has reduced slightly. Check seasoning. Add more salt and sugar if you want to.The reason we add the water at this stage is to allow the sambal to cook just a little longer to take on a slightly deeper flavour, and also for it to be on the wet side.
Add the chopped up mangoes stir and cook for 1 minute.
Take if off the heat and stir in the lime juice and serve. Will keep in the fridge, covered, for 2 days.
Notes
Use mild chillies for a mild sambal. Jalapenos are a great option.