Sambal Terasi

A cooked or raw sambal built by grinding chilies with shrimp paste (terasi), garlic, shallot, and lime, producing a far more complex and pungent condiment than plain sambal oelek.

Flavor Profile

Hot, pungent, and deeply savory-funky from the fermented shrimp paste, with bright acidity from lime.

Culinary Uses

Table condiment for nasi goreng, grilled fish, and vegetables; ground fresh at many Indonesian meals using a mortar and pestle (cobek).

Regional Variations

Countless regional sambal variants exist across Indonesia (sambal matah from Bali, sambal dabu-dabu from Manado); terasi-based versions specifically anchor the broader Malay-Indonesian sambal family.

Storage

Refrigerate; keeps 1–2 weeks if raw, longer if cooked in oil.

Contains shellfish (shrimp paste) — flag for allergen purposes.