What Is Sambal ulek (ground chili peppers and salt) and How Can I Use It?
If sambal ulek (ground chili peppers and salt) has turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use it with confidence and how to choose it, cook it, store it, what to substitute, and 7 recipes to try it in.
- In Chinese:
- 叁峇ulek（地面辣椒和盐）
- British (UK) term:
- Sambal ulek (ground chili peppers and salt)
- en français:
- ulek sambal (rez-de piments et le sel)
- en español:
- Ulek sambal (planta chiles y sal)
Recipes using sambal ulek (ground chili peppers and salt)
There are 7 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Satay Vegetable & Sprout Pancakes
Savory whole wheat pancakes wrapped around snow peas, sprouts, mushrooms and carrots, drizzled with peanut-butter satay dressing. Vegetarian Asian-style fusion lunch.
Hot Bananas a la Baloo
Hot bananas a la Baloo are grilled bananas marinated in honey, sambal oelek, and soy sauce. Spicy-sweet Indonesian-Japanese fusion side that pairs with grilled meats. Just four ingredients.
Savoury Nibbles
Crispy spiced fritters dripped through a slotted spoon into hot oil, made with chickpea flour, buttermilk, sambal, and a hand-ground spice blend of coriander, mustard, and cinnamon.
Bep's Barmi Goreng
Spicy Indonesian noodles with ground beef, bacon, tomatoes, and authentic seasonings like boemboe nasi goreng and sambal oelek. This one-hour dish tastes even better the next day.
Indonesian Pork Tenderloin
Indonesian pork tenderloin marinated in lime, soy, brown sugar, cumin, curry, and sambal ulek, then seared fast in a hot pan. Sweet, smoky, and chili-hot, served with fried bananas.
Ajam Panggang (Indonesian Barbecued Chicken)
Ajam Panggang is a flavorful Indonesian dish featuring chicken marinated in a rich blend of sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), garlic, lime, and spicy sambal ulek, then roasted or grilled until juicy and caramelized. Paired with crispy shrimp puffs (kroepoek oedang) and a thickened marinade sauce, it’s perfect as a standalone dish or part of an Indonesian rice table with nasi goreng (fried rice).
Atjar Tjampoer
Crisp matchstick vegetables dance in a tangy sweet-and-sour sauce spiked with sambal heat and golden turmeric. This Indonesian pickle jar classic pairs like a dream with Nasi Goreng.
