Jakarta (ANTARA) – Sambal seems inseparable from Indonesian people’s eating habits. Not only does it add flavor, chili sauce also provides its own sensation that makes food even more delicious.
In Indonesia itself, there are many different types of chili sauce, one of which is Sambal Plecing. Sambal plecing is a typical food from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, which has a unique story behind its origins.
It is said that this chili sauce comes from the story of a princess who was famous for her beauty.
However, no one had ever seen the princess’s face, because every day she always covered her face with a cloth. The beauty of the princess is a mystery that makes many people curious.
There was a cook who at that time was very curious and wanted to see the princess’ face so he devised a plan to make a unique dish and hoped to persuade the princess to show her face.
He also created a vegetable dish that was served differently. The vegetables are not cut into pieces, but are served long as they are and the way to eat them is by tilting your head and pointing the tip of the vegetable directly into your mouth without cutting it.
When the cook had finished the dish, he asked the princess to try it. When she tried the dish and raised her head to eat the long vegetables, her face opened for a moment and the cook managed to see the princess’s beauty which was so enchanting that it could melt the heart of anyone who looked at her.
That is the origin of plecing as believed by the people, a traditional dish which is now widely known in Lombok.
Sambal Plecing Kangkung itself consists of boiled water spinach and served cold and fresh and then poured with a spicy, savory and fresh chili sauce made from lime juice.
Recipe and method for making kale plecing chili sauce
Before trying this simple kale plecing recipe, first consider a few tips so that the results are more delicious and fresh:
- Choose fresh kale with bright green leaves and stems that feel soft when held. Remove stems that are too tough.
- Boil kale in water with a little salt to add flavor. Boil for just 1-2 minutes, then immediately plunge into ice water to keep the bright green color.
- Avoid boiling kale for too long so that the texture remains crispy and the color remains fresh green.
- Make sure the kale is completely drained after boiling, so that the plecing is not too watery when mixed with the chili sauce.
- For a more savory taste, add powdered mushroom stock to the plecing sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 bunches kale
- 75 grams of bean sprouts
- 6 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- Powdered mushroom broth
Ground spices
- 5 large red chilies
- 3 cloves of red onion
- 3 cayenne peppers
- 5 candlenuts (roasted)
- 2 tablespoons shrimp paste (grilled)
How to make
- Blend the red chilies, cayenne peppers, shallots, candlenuts and shrimp paste with a little water until it becomes chili sauce.
- Boil the kale until wilted, then remove from heat, cover with cold water to keep the color fresh and drain. Brew the bean sprouts, then cover with cold water and drain. Set these two vegetables aside.
- Mix the ground spices with salt, mushroom stock, lime juice and granulated sugar, then stir until evenly mixed.
- Heat cooking oil.
- Pour the hot oil into the chili mixture, stir well until the spices are more fragrant and combined.
- Pour the prepared seasoning over the kale and bean sprouts. Serve plecing kale while it is fresh.
Also read: Various types of chilies in Indonesia
Also read: History and recipe for making typical Manado rica-rica chili sauce
Also read: Is chili a fruit or vegetable?
Reporter: Allisa Luthfia
Editor: Alviansyah Pasaribu
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