A classic Singaporean anchovy sambal that is crispy, flavourful, and stays fresh for over a month. Perfect served with hot rice, congee, or bread. The key lies in thoroughly frying the anchovies and peanuts until crispy and mixing them with the cooled sambal to maintain the crunch.
oilfor frying peanuts, anchovies, and making the sambal~1-1.5 cupsest.
Steps
▶ Tap a timecode to jump to roughly that moment in the video.
1
Prepare the blended aromatics: roughly chop the onions, shallots, ginger, and garlic, then blend in a food processor until smooth.
2
Prepare the dried chillies: snip and remove the seeds, simmer in water until soft, then blend with a little water until smooth.
3
Clean the anchovies: split lengthwise, remove the guts, rinse thoroughly, then dry completely until no moisture remains.
4
Clean the peanuts: rinse briefly under water just before frying to remove dust, but avoid washing too far in advance.
5
Fry the peanuts: heat plenty of oil in a wok or pan, add the cleaned peanuts, reduce to medium-low heat, and stir constantly until the colour lightens and the skin becomes slightly wrinkled and dry. Remove and drain when crispy outside but still slightly tender inside.
6
Fry the anchovies: ensure the oil is very hot, fry in small batches to maintain temperature, stir constantly until they make crispy crackling sounds. A splash of vinegar during frying enhances crispness. Remove when sizzling and oil reduces, drain, and repeat until all are done.
7
Begin the sambal base: reheat the reserved oil (or add fresh oil) in the wok, add the blended onions, ginger, and garlic, and stir-fry until all the onion moisture has completely evaporated.
8
Add the blended chillies: stir in the smooth chilli paste and keep stirring until it absorbs the oil and becomes dry and fragrant.
9
Add seasonings: add the tamarind juice (or dried tamarind), palm sugar, and salt in sequence, and continue cooking over low heat until the colour darkens and the oil rises to the surface (about 1 hour).
10
Final seasoning: add the anchovy stock cube and rock sugar if desired, and ensure the sambal reaches the right consistency—it should be half-dry, half-oily, moist but not wet, so it stays crispy when combined with the anchovies and peanuts.
11
Separate the excess oil: once the sambal has completely cooled, gently push it to the side of the wok and let excess oil pool at the bottom, carefully drain some oil (but retain a little for flavour and moisture).
12
Combine all components: gently fold the cooled sambal with the fried anchovies and peanuts, stirring carefully to ensure even distribution without crushing the anchovies.
13
Store: transfer to airtight containers, preferably dividing into smaller portions to better maintain crispness. Store in a cool, dry place for over a month.
PrimedTableBETA
