← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 8 Red chilli, roughly chopped, seeds in or out
• 4 Bird's eye chilli (optional)
• 2 tsp belacan (shrimp paste)
• 1 tsp Sugar
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 4 calamansi (or 1 lime), juiced

Method

1. Toast the belacan: wrap it in foil and dry-fry it in a pan over medium heat for 2–3 min per side, until crumbly and very aromatic. (Open a window.)
2. Pound the chillies with the toasted belacan, sugar and salt in a mortar and pestle until you have a coarse paste, or pulse briefly in a small blender.
3. Stir in the calamansi juice just before serving. Taste and adjust the salt, sugar and sour to your liking.

Tips

• Pounding by hand gives the best texture; a blender makes it smoother and slightly watery.
• Contains shellfish. Keeps for a week in the fridge without the lime; add the juice as you serve.
• Wear gloves to chop and pound this many chillies, or wash your hands well straight after and keep them away from your eyes.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Nomadette Seasaltwithfood