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Recipe

Sambal embe

Shallot and chili fried in coconut oil until the shallot turns gold. A cooked Balinese sambal, the opposite of raw sambal matah.

By Chef Wayan Suryana, Warung Tumang BaliLast updated

Serves 1 small bowl, enough for 4·Prep 10 minutes·Cook 12 minutes

Cook Sambal embe with Chef Wayan in Petulu, about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic. Check datesHow the class runs

Sambal embe in short

Sambal embe is a fried shallot chili. Cook sliced shallot in coconut oil until gold, add bird’s eye chili and salt, and stop before the shallot burns. It takes about 20 minutes and keeps a day, unlike sambal matah.

A Petulu class table with sate, banana-leaf pepes, sambal bowls, canang sari, krupuk, and coconut curry, from the Petulu class where sambal embe is cooked
Hands grinding base genep in a stone mortar at the Petulu spice table, from the Petulu class where sambal embe is cooked

Sambal embe is a fried shallot sambal. The shallot cooks until sweet and gold, then chili and salt go in. It is not sambal matah. Matah stays raw and is shocked with hot oil. Embe lives in the wok.

Karangasem kitchens are known for it, and the same bowl shows up across Bali next to grilled fish and rice. At Warung Tumang Bali the raw sambal is the one guests slice on a class morning. Embe is the cooked bowl to make when you want something that keeps past lunch.

Sambal embe ingredients

  • 8 small shallots, peeled and sliced thin
  • 6–10 bird’s eye chilies, sliced into rings
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon shrimp paste, fried first (omit for vegetarian and vegan)

How to make sambal embe

  1. Warm the coconut oil over medium-low heat. Add the shallot. Fry, stirring, until the slices turn gold and smell sweet. If they brown too fast, lower the heat. Burnt shallot turns bitter.
  2. Add the chili and the fried shrimp paste, if you are using it. Stir for a minute so the chili softens in the oil.
  3. Salt it. Taste. Embe should be savory and a little sweet from the shallot, hotter than matah, and not wet.
  4. Cool it in the wok off the heat. Serve with rice, grilled fish, or sliced tipat. It keeps a day in a covered bowl, unlike matah.

If you only make one sambal in the Petulu class, it will be matah. Make embe at home when you want a cooked chili that can sit on the table through dinner.

Sambal embe questions

What is the difference between sambal embe and sambal matah?
Matah stays raw and is dressed with hot oil. Embe fries the shallot in the wok until gold, then adds chili. Embe is cooked and keeps longer.
Why did my sambal embe taste bitter?
The shallot browned too fast. Keep the heat medium-low and pull the wok when the slices are gold, not dark.
Can sambal embe be vegetarian?
Yes. Leave out the shrimp paste. Shallot, chili, coconut oil, and salt are a complete embe.
How long does sambal embe keep?
A day in a covered bowl. Matah should not be kept overnight. Embe can sit through dinner.

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