Nasi Lemak

Re-hydrate the dried anchovies and dried chilies in 2 separate bowls by covering with with boiling water for 20 minutes.

Peel and roughly chop onions and fresh red chilies, and blitz it in a blender or food processor until pasty consistency.

Drain and de-seed the rehydrated chilies and add it to the blender.

Drain the rehydrated anchovies and add it to the blender.

Roughly chop the soft portion of the lemongrass and garlic, and add it to the blender.

Add the shrimp paste in the blender and blitz all these ingredients until a smooth pasty consistency. Loosen up the paste with vegetable oil if too dry.

Heat oil in a pan and add the paste. You need to have enough oil so that the paste do not burn. Turn the heat to low and let the paste caramelize for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the paste will not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Breakdown the chicken bouillon and add to the paste. Add the salt and sugar. Cook for 2 minutes stirring regularly to distribute evenly.

Add the tamarind paste. Stir to distribute and turn off the heat. Leave to cool.

This sambal can be paired with any fried dish and is also good as dip for carrots, cucumber, and green mango.

To put together the Nasi Lemak, cook rice in coconut milk with pandan leaves for vibrant smell. Once cooked, serve this with crispy fried anchovies, sliced fresh cucumber, toaster peanuts, fried egg and the sambal paste.