Grandma's recipe # 4: Sambal Belacan （叁巴醬）

Sambal Belacan, as known as shrimp paste chili sauce, is popular among countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. This magic dipping sauce, it simply brings a lot more fun to our dining experience, after-all most of the Malaysian like spicy food, not only it provides a kick to the meal, its complicated flavor from shrimp paste and other ingredients, it just elevates the taste of the food to a much higher level.

叁巴醬，在馬來西亞、印尼、新加坡，扮演著舉足輕重的角色。我們的每一餐，每一種食物，雖然不一定會用上它。但很多時候，像在吃炒飯、炒麵、炒米粉、炒河粉、福建炒的時候，都會沾上一些叁巴醬配著吃。甚至是馬來人的椰漿飯也是如此。它那種蝦膏與辣椒的結合，不止滿足了我們這些吃貨對辣的喜愛，對於主食整體上的味道更是提升不少。雖然每個人的配方都略有不同，當基本上都不會差太多。以下，為大家介紹我阿嬤的版本。

Direction:

20 big red chilies	大紅辣椒20條
10 Thai bird's eye chilies	青色泰國小辣椒
10 calamansi	酸柑10粒
2 chunk of 6cmx3cmx1cm dried shrimp pastes	兩塊曬乾的蝦膏 6cmx3cmx1cm
1 tbsp of white sugar	白糖1湯匙

Direction:

Grill the dried shrimp paste on the wok with low heat, until the water within is vaporized and its smell is aromatic enough, it takes about 15 minutes.

將兩塊曬乾的蝦膏在熱鍋上煸烤，煸香煸乾後（大約15 分鐘），拿出鍋備用。

Rinse the big red chilies and Thai bird's eye green chilies. Blend them together with dried shrimp paste into chili sauce.

將紅色大辣椒，青色泰國小辣椒，和酸柑沖洗乾淨。然後將這些大小辣椒和剛才烤香的蝦膏一起倒入攪拌器打成辣椒醬。

Cut the calamansi then squeeze their juice into the sambal sauce, add some sugar in it. Stir the sambal to dissolve the calamansi juice and sugar thoroughly.

將酸柑切半然後把酸柑汁擠出，再加入少許糖調味。

Bottle the sambal chili sauce and keep them fresh in a fridge. It could last for a month.
將叁巴醬轉入罐，放入冰箱冷藏，一個月內可安心食用。

Somebody once told me a different version of the recipe, which fried anchovies are blended into anchovy powder then added into the sambal chili sauce. Does anyone also make the sambal sauce in this way? Or any other method? Feel free to drop me a message. ^^

聽說有些人會把江魚仔煎香後打碎磨成粉，然後再加入叁巴醬中，味道好像會更好。不知各位是否有聽過這方法?若有更好的做法，歡迎大家一起分享交流喲。^^