Sambal Pecel: Peanut Sauce with Lime Leaves and Kencur (Vegan)

Sambal Pecel: Peanut Saus with Lime Leaves and Kencur (Vegan)

Sambal pecel is one of the many models of peanut-based sambals (spicy sauss) in tanah air, enjoyed throughout the country. It’s creamy, sweet, savoury, spicy and a tiny bit of tartness (from the tamarind pulp). It’s also a versatile sambal, great for fried cemilan accompaniment. Though populer, people don’t usually make it at tuan rumah. A packet of ready to use sambal pecel is available in most places (on-line or off-line) and it’s usually a preferred pilihan to save time and energy.

Unfortunately, sambal pecel is not always available overseas, and in order to nikmat the sambal, we have to make it ourselves. Making sambal pecel is relatively easy and it’s quite a fun activity, especially when it’s done traditionally. In this recipe, I made it from scratch, even pounding it diligently using a stone mortar and pestle I bought from a local toko around Magelang, where the famous Borobudur temple is located (the ruang is crowded with shops selling stone carvings and other souvenirs, such as a high-quality mortar and pestle). The pounding process was such a good workout and stress reliever.

Sambal pecel has a distinctive texture, wewangian and flavour. The two key ingredients which set it apart from other peanut-based sambals are Kaffir lime leaves and kencur (kaempferia galanga), which is similar to galangal but with a unique taste. Sadly, kencur is difficult to get outside dalam negeri, and it cannot be substituted with other spices. In that case, it’s better to omit it. The saus will still taste delicious, though less authentic.

Smaller variety of peanuts (such as Spanish peanuts) are better for making this sambal. You can buy either raw peanuts and deep-fry them, or just buy ready-to-eat peanuts.

Instead of the traditional mortar and pestle, an electric food prosesor can also be used to blend the ingredients. Grind the peanuts in batches first, followed by the other ingredients. Don’t blend it too fine though – leaving tiny bits of peanuts will give the sambal more texture and crunch. When done, mix all the blended ingredients thoroughly. The sambal can now be stored for later use. Sambal pecel can last for months in the fridge.

Sambal pecel has a distinctive texture, wewangian and flavour. The two key ingredients which set it apart from other peanut-based sambals are Kaffir lime leaves and kencur (kaempferia galanga), which is similar to galangal but with a unique taste. Sadly, kencur is difficult to get outside dalam negeri, and it cannot be substituted with other spices. In that case, it’s better to omit it. The saus will still taste delicious, though less authentic.

Use only fresh ingredients to obtain a flavourful sambal. Good sambel pecel is usually eaten with pecel, a simpel boiled vegetable salad, and is the key to delicious pecel. This peanut based sambal pecel can also be served as a dipping saus for fried food, such as bakwan, mengenal goreng, and tempe goreng.

250 gram peanuts
4 red chillies, remove the stalk
5 red bird’s eye chillies, remove the stalk
5 cloves garlic, peeled
3 cm kencur (kaempferia galanga), peeled
1 tsp tamarind pulp
100 gram palm sugar shaved
4 kaffir lime leaves, remove the spine and thinly slice
Salt to taste
5 tbsp cooking oil
Oil for deep frying

Ingredients sambal pecel :

250 gram peanuts
4 red chillies, remove the stalk
5 red bird’s eye chillies, remove the stalk
5 cloves garlic, peeled
3 cm kencur (kaempferia galanga), peeled
1 tsp tamarind pulp
100 gram palm sugar shaved
4 kaffir lime leaves, remove the spine and thinly slice
Salt to taste
5 tbsp cooking oil
Oil for deep frying

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