Sambal Ikan Bilis Tumbuk Belimbing Buluh

Assalammualaikum wbt,

Today I'd like to share a recipe which has been passed down from my grandmother to me which is passed down from her mother. Geddit? Haha. The ingredients are simple and its great to eat with hot steam rice. But I love this sambal most when we pair it with soup...a plate of rice won't be enough..

If you do not have belimbing buluh, you could actually substitute it with lime juice because the function of it is to give the sourness to this sambal. 

Ingredients

1 handful of dried anchovies/ikan bilis (if you can get the ones from Pangkor, they're the best!)

1 handful of cili padi (depends on your tolerance level against hot explosion in your mouth)

5 shallots

2 handful of belimbing buluh (remove the stem and leaves)

2 cm belacan (optional)

*Blend or pound everything. You can use dry blender, but do not over blend it. We want the texture. If you're a patience and strong person, you can manually pound them using pestel & mortar.

This is how it looks like: 

Step-by-step

1) Heat the oil. You have to use quite a lot because this ikan bilis mixture going to soak it up. 

2) Pour the mixture and stir continuously.

3) Yes, keep stirring. At this point, if it's too dry, add some more oil. Also, if you do not use belimbing buluh, you can squeeze your lime at this point. 2-3 would be ok for this measurement. 

4) Yes..more stirring. Season with salt. You have to keep stirring until you can see the oils appear and the anchovies have turn brownish/crisp. The more the mixture, the longer it takes to fry it. 

5) After your ikan bilis has turn a bit brownish and crispy, turn the heat off. It depends on your liking actually, the longer you leave it, the crispier it might get. I like it crispy but still soft to chew. 

        You can spot a brownish ikan bilis there. 

This is one of the dishes my grandmother taught me, yes, a bit nostalgic. Give it a try :)