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Recipe

Sambal matah: slice it thin, dress it hot

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IDR 450.000per guest, shared class

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Bali’s raw sambal: paper-thin shallot, lemongrass, lime leaf, and chili, dressed with hot coconut oil. Make it the day you eat it, beside grilled fish and sate.

By Chef Wayan Suryana, Warung Tumang BaliLast updated First published

Serves 1 small bowl, enough for 4·Prep 15 minutes·Cook 2 minutes

Sambal matah in short

Sambal matah is Bali’s raw shallot sambal. Slice shallot, bird’s eye chili, lemongrass, and lime leaf paper-thin, pour over hot coconut oil, then season with lime juice and salt. It takes about 15 minutes. This is the bowl from Warung Tumang Bali in Banjar Laplapan, Petulu, Ubud, Bali 80571.

Sambal matah in a white bowl, sliced shallot and red chili on a wooden table, from the Petulu class where sambal matah is cooked
Guests dicing red chili and slicing garlic on round wooden chopping blocks at the Petulu class table, from the Petulu class where sambal matah is cooked
A Petulu class table with sate, banana-leaf pepes, sambal bowls, canang sari, krupuk, and coconut curry, from the Petulu class where sambal matah is cooked
Two guests in blue aprons chopping garlic on wooden blocks beside a banana-leaf tray of spices, rice field behind, in Petulu, from the Petulu class where sambal matah is cooked

In sambal matah the shallot, lemongrass, and lime leaf stay raw, then a spoon of hot coconut oil opens the fragrance without turning the chili into a cooked sambal.

At the Petulu kitchen the bowl sits next to grilled fish and sate lilit. Make it the same day you eat it. The shallot softens, then the lime fades.

Sambal matah ingredients

  • 6 small shallots, peeled and sliced paper-thin
  • 8–12 bird’s eye chilies, sliced into thin rings
  • 2 lemongrass stalks, tender core only, sliced very thin
  • 4 lime leaves, central rib removed, sliced into hair-fine threads
  • A few slices of torch ginger (kecombrang), if you can find it
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • A pinch of salt

How to make sambal matah

  1. Pile the shallot, chili, lemongrass, lime leaf, and torch ginger in a bowl. Keep the slices thin so the oil can reach them.
  2. Warm the coconut oil until it shimmers. It should be hot, not smoking.
  3. Pour the oil over the aromatics and stir. The shallot will relax and turn glossy.
  4. Add lime juice and salt. Taste. Matah should be sharp, fragrant, and salty enough to season a plate of rice, not sweet.
  5. Rest it for 10 minutes, then serve with grilled fish, sate, or warm rice. Do not keep it overnight.

Guests slice this sambal themselves after the spice table is laid out. The chili is the same bird’s eye you see piled at the Ubud morning market.

Sambal matah questions

How do you make sambal matah?
Slice shallot, bird’s eye chili, lemongrass, and lime leaf paper-thin, pour over hot coconut oil, then season with lime juice and salt. It takes about 15 minutes. Matah means raw: only the oil is heated.
Is sambal matah cooked?
No. Only the coconut oil is heated. The hot oil softens the shallot and opens the lemongrass and lime leaf, but the aromatics stay raw. Matah means raw.
Does sambal matah need shrimp paste?
Not in this kitchen. Shallot, chili, lemongrass, lime leaf, hot coconut oil, lime, and salt are a complete matah. Torch ginger is optional. Terasi is not required.
How long does sambal matah keep?
Make it the day you eat it. The shallot softens and the lime fades within hours, so the Petulu kitchen does not keep it overnight.
What do you eat sambal matah with?
Grilled fish, sate lilit, nasi goreng, or plain warm rice. At Warung Tumang Bali the bowl sits next to the grilled dishes.
Where is this sambal from?
Warung Tumang Bali, Banjar Laplapan, Petulu, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali 80571, about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic. Guests slice it at the spice table. Check dates on this page, then WhatsApp or email this site.

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IDR 450.000per guest, shared class

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