Sambal oelek (chilli sambal)
A bright, fiery fresh chilli paste with just salt and vinegar, to spoon into stir fries, noodles, soups and marinades.
Make this once, then cook it into 29 different dishes.
- Time20 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £0.23 a head
- Makesabout 250 g, enough for 6 stir fries for 4 people
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Wearing gloves, trim the stalks from the chillies. For a milder sambal, slit them and scrape out half of the seeds.
- 2
Roughly chop the chillies and put them in a food processor with the vinegar and salt. Pulse until finely chopped and sludgy, like a coarse paste, not a smooth puree.
- 3
Tip into a small saucepan with the water. Bring to a gentle bubble over a medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until the colour deepens slightly and the raw smell softens.
5 min - 4
Taste carefully. It should be hot, tangy and salty. Add a pinch more salt or a splash of vinegar if you like.
- 5
Spoon into a clean, sterilised jar while hot. Cool completely, then close the lid and chill. You should have about 250 g.
About sambal oelek (chilli sambal)
Sambal oelek is a raw or lightly cooked paste of ground red chillies, salt and vinegar, and it is the simplest of the Indonesian sambals. Its name comes from the stone mortar (ulek) it was traditionally ground in.
It tastes clean, hot and sharp rather than sweet, which is why it is so useful. Stir it into fried rice, noodles, soups, marinades and dressings to add heat and brightness without changing the flavour of the dish much. Fancier sambals such as sambal terasi or sambal matah start from the same idea with shrimp paste or shallots added.
This version is cooked for five minutes so it keeps better and tastes rounder. One batch makes about 250 g, enough for six stir fries for four people at 40 g each.
Tips
- Use gloves and do not touch your eyes. Wash the board and knife well after cutting the chillies.
- The heat depends on the chillies. Long red chillies are medium, Fresno are medium to hot, and bird eye chillies are very hot, so mix and taste.
- Keep some seeds in for heat and bite. Removing all the seeds gives a milder, smoother paste.
- Add a little extra vinegar rather than water if the paste is too thick, because the vinegar helps it keep.
- Use a clean spoon every time you dip into the jar so the sambal stays fresh.
Storing and freezing
Keeps up to 2 weeks in the fridge in a clean, sterilised jar with a thin film of oil on top, or up to 3 months in the freezer in an ice cube tray. Cool completely before putting the lid on.
Dishes you can make with sambal oelek (chilli sambal)
Green Curry Pork Sausage Rolls with Sambal Dip
NFPad Thai Nuea (Beef Pad Thai with Spring Onions)
GFDFNFSate Sapi (Indonesian Beef Satay)
GFDFEFTahu Telur (Indonesian Tofu Omelette with Peanut Sauce)
GFDFVKetoprak (Jakarta Rice Cake, Tofu and Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce)
GFDFEFSatay Bee Hoon (Malaysian Satay Rice Vermicelli with Prawns)
GFDFEFSiomay Bandung (Steamed Fish Dumplings with Peanut Sauce)
GFDFNasi Pecel (Javanese Vegetables, Tempeh and Egg with Peanut Sauce)
DFVCanh Ga Chien Nuoc Mam (Sticky Fish Sauce Chicken Wings)
GFDFEFMuc Chien Gion (Vietnamese Crispy Squid with Lime)
GFDFEFLaksa Prawn Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng Laksa)
GFDFNFLaksa Prawn Skewers with Coconut Rice
GFDFEFQuestions
How hot is sambal oelek?
Hot, but the heat is fresh rather than lingering. Long red chillies make a medium paste. Bird eye chillies make it very hot. Remove half the seeds for a gentler result, and taste a tiny amount first.
Is this sambal vegan and gluten free?
Yes. It is made only from chillies, vinegar, salt and water, so it is vegan, gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free and has no added sugar. Many shop bought sambals contain shrimp paste, so check the label if you buy one.
Can I use green chillies?
Yes. Green chillies give a sharper, grassier sambal that is just as hot. The colour will be a duller green after cooking. Use it the same way, or mix green and red.
What is the difference between sambal oelek and sriracha?
Sambal oelek is plain chillies with salt and vinegar, with no sugar or garlic. Sriracha is smoother, sweeter and garlicky. Use sambal when you want pure heat and sriracha when you want a sauce.
Can I freeze sambal oelek?
Yes. Freeze it in an ice cube tray, then put the cubes in a bag. A cube is roughly 15 g, so 3 cubes is a stir fry portion. It keeps for 3 months and thaws in minutes.
More base recipes
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.