Village-Style Fried Rice with Shrimp Paste Chili Sambal

Steps

1. 1
   Prepare the tamarind juice by soaking the tamarind paste in half a cup of water and stirring until fully dissolved to obtain a concentrated liquid.
2. 2
   Halve the calamansi limes and remove the seeds to prevent bitterness.
3. 3
   Prepare the sambal ingredients: finely chop the tomato, combine red and green chilies (removing most of the stems but leaving a few), and measure out half an inch of roasted shrimp paste for the sambal.
4. 4
   Pound the chili paste ingredients (shallots, garlic, red and green chilies, roasted shrimp paste, and drained anchovies) in a mortar until it reaches a coarse, textured paste consistency—not overly smooth.
5. 5
   Transfer the pounded paste to a bowl and season with the tamarind juice, calamansi juice, sugar, and salt to your desired level of sourness and saltiness. Optional seasoning powder may be added. Set aside.
6. 6
   Separate the water spinach stems from the leaves—the stems will go in early during frying, and the leaves will be added at the very end.
7. 7
   Cut chicken into small pieces and mince the shallots, garlic, and red and green chilies.
8. 8
   Heat oil in the wok and fry the reserved anchovies until crispy and fragrant, then remove and drain. Leave behind the flavorful anchovy-infused oil in the wok.
9. 9
   In the same wok with the fragrant oil, stir-fry the pounded chili paste until the aroma of the shrimp paste fully blooms.
10. 10
    Add the chicken pieces, season with seasoning powder and salt, and stir-fry until half-cooked.
11. 11
    Crack an egg directly into the wok, let it set briefly, then lightly scramble it—leaving some texture rather than breaking it down completely.
12. 12
    Add the water spinach stems and toss to combine with the chili paste.
13. 13
    Add one cup of cold cooked rice, which will fry more easily into individual grains than warm rice.
14. 14
    Drizzle in a little sweet soy sauce for seasoning.
15. 15
    Add the reserved water spinach leaves and toss everything together over high heat until the rice grains are well separated and slightly crispy at the edges. Avoid over-stirring to maintain the texture.
16. 16
    In a separate pan, fry an egg with a runny yolk to serve on top.
17. 17
    Plate the fried rice and top with the fried egg. Scatter the crispy fried anchovies over it (and crackers if desired). Garnish with cucumber slices and serve the sambal belacan on the side as a condiment.