Sambal Ijo: The Green Chilli Sambal of Padang

Ingredients

• 200 g green chillies, stemmed
• 80 g shallots, peeled
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 medium tomato, roughly chopped
• 60 ml neutral cooking oil

Method

1. 1
   Combine the green chillies, shallots, garlic, and tomato in a mortar. Pound to a coarse, unified paste — not smooth; visible texture should remain. The paste is ready when all four components are thoroughly broken down and hold together as one mass.
2. 2
   Heat the oil in a wok or heavy pan over a medium flame until the surface shimmers. Add the pounded paste in a single motion. Fry, stirring continuously, pressing the paste against the hot surface. This is where the sambal lives or dies: continue frying until the oil visibly separates from the paste and pools at the edges — the sign that moisture has been driven off and the raw grassiness of the green chilli has been cooked through to a rounded, settled heat.
3. 3
   Remove from the heat. The finished sambal should be fragrant, slightly darkened at the edges, and glistening with separated oil. Taste for the balance of sharp vegetal heat against the sweetness of the tomato and shallot.