Food Recipes Sauces, Condiments and Preserves Tomato Sambal Be the first to rate & review! Chef Lara Lee's tomato sambal combines fresh long red chiles, sweetly acidic cherry tomatoes, and tangy tamarind paste in a delicious, nearly all-purpose condiment. Sambal, in Indian and Southeast Asian cuisine, refers to condiments — usually ones that pack quite a bit of heat. Chef Lee's version is deliciously spicy on it's own, or slightly milder mixed with creamy mayonnaise. Try it as a dipping sauce for spring rolls or anything fried and crunchy, or as a spread on a sandwich or burger. A spoonful stirred into a pot of soup or stew adds layers of flavor. The tomato sambal will keep for 3 months in the freezer and up to 2 weeks in the fridge. By Lara Lee Lara Lee Londoner Lara Lee is an Indonesian-Australian chef, food writer, and co-founder of the events catering company Kiwi & Roo. The New York Times named her debut book Coconut & Sambal one of the best cookbooks of fall 2020. Lara contributes to The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Food52, Food & Wine, The Guardian, and Waitrose, among others. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 2, 2023 Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Save Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Louise Hagger Active Time: 25 mins Total Time: 25 mins Yield: 1 cup Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients ½ pound long red chiles such as Holland, or 8 large Fresno, deseeded if desired, then sliced (about 20) 6 ounces cherry tomatoes 2 small banana shallots or 4 small Thai shallots, peeled and sliced (about 1/2 cup) 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced 1 ½ inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced ¼ cup neutral-flavored oil, for frying 1 teaspoon tamarind paste (or 1 teaspoon lime juice mixed with 1 teaspoon brown sugar) ½ teaspoon coconut sugar or brown sugar Sea salt and black pepper, to taste Directions In a mortar and pestle or a food processor, place the chiles, tomatoes, shallots, garlic, and ginger. Mash or pulse until a semi-fine paste forms (you don't want to make a puree — the sambal should have a little texture). In a medium skillet, heat the oil over a medium. Add the spice paste to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until the sambal darkens, is fragrant, and reduces to a thick consistency, 10 to 15 minutes. Mix in the tamarind paste and sugar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let cool. Note Adapted with permission from Coconut & Sambal by Lara Lee, copyright © 2020. Published by Bloomsbury. Photography copyright: Louise Hagger © 2020. Rate It Print