Where to get sambal?
I've never looked for sambal before, my understanding is it's an Indonesian chile paste. My first thought is to go to 99 Ranch. Before I make the trek, was wondering if anyone knows for sure whether or not they have it. Does Whole Foods carry it? Bristol Farms? Anywhere in Pasadena/South Pasadena? Does Surfas have it??
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Sambal is a general term for some sort of condiment containing ground or flaked chile as one of its main components. From there, the variations can be quite wide. Some have no more than some kind of edible oil, garlic, and seasonings added, while others can have fermented shrimp paste (belacan), coconut milk, shrimp, anchovies, shallots, tomatos, lime, peanuts, candlenuts, and on and on... probably as many as a dozen types of sambals exist, and any respectable family has their own spin on at least a couple of them.
If you want the fresh stuff that needs refrigeration, you will probably need to go to a shop or restaurant that sells mostly Indonesian, Malaysian, or Singaporean foods. These three cultures cannot live without sambal - my father-in-law makes a mean sambal that is so tasty that his friends will pay him to make it for them. Unfortunately, he lives in Kuala Lumpur.
The stuff in places like the chain supermarkets are usually the basic types that require no refrigeration - sambal terasi or sambal balado. They are good for certain things, but IMHO, any sambal with belacan is much much better. Ramayani on Westwood Blvd sells at least two kinds - one with alot of belacan - and Simpang Asia on National has some as well.
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Thanks everyone, for your help. I had previously checked my local pavilions, and they didn't have it. But Bristol Farms does, priced higher than it should be, I'm sure, but the convenience factor will outweigh that for now.
btw, is there much taste difference between Indonesian and Sri Lankan sambal?
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re: slacker
simpang asia in palms (on national and motor) will definitely have it. they're probably the only indonesian-specialty grocery store in the area. from what i remember, their sambal is pretty authentic and i think their cafe might have a really fresh version (both my then roommates were indonesian).
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elmomonster
Feb 1, 2007 01:51 PM
The Professor is right. 99 ranch carries Sambal Oelek, which is made by Huy Fong Foods (they also make a popular brand of Sriracha), but although it has an Indonesian name, it's not Indonesian per se. Sambal is a general term for chili paste. Oelek translates to "grind in a mortar". I use it as an all purpose chili paste, but primarily for dipping. It goes great on anything!
So, salsa is to Mexicans, as sambal is to Indonesians, and there are many different kinds of sambal as there are many different kinds of salsas.
If you want to get funkier sambals, spiked with fermented shrimp paste, check out Indo Kart in Duarte, next to the Duarte Inn. They have a good selection of imported sambals from Indonesia.
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re: sel
elmomonster
Feb 2, 2007 12:11 PM
That's right! Don't miss it! Pondok Kaki Lima! The best Indonesian food outside the island of Java, IMHO.
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Professor Salt
Feb 1, 2007 01:33 PM
99 Ranch carries sambal olek. Perhaps you want some other specific kind, but they at least carry that, and possibly others.
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alpine chef
Feb 1, 2007 09:56 AM
i am in denver and haven't had any difficulty finding it in major super markets..... safeway and city market/king super (similar to ralph's)
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Will Owen
Feb 1, 2007 09:54 AM
Haven't looked for it at Whole Foods or BFarms - it's something I usually pick up when I'm in one of the Asian stores and think of it. Closest to me (I'm in Pasadena) is the 99 Ranch in Arcadia at Golden West and Duarte Road. East from there is Arcadia Supermarket, perhaps a bit more pan-Asian, in a mall on Duarte just half a block east of Baldwin, around the corner from Din Tai Fung.
I've also seen it in "mainstream" markets in areas where there's a significant Asian population. By the time we left Nashville you could get it at Kroger!
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