Sambal-Belacan Chicken with vegetables is one of my favorite Asian recipes. Each time I visit the supermarkets in Singapore, I get a chance to learn about new products, and even after several years of living here, I still discover new ones.
The sauces section has plenty of Chinese, Malay, and Indian products. One ingredient in many traditional dishes is The Belacan paste, an essential ingredient in the Malay and the Peranakan kitchen contains fermented, salted, and dried shrimp.
The paste, mixed with lime leaves and chili, is used to make Sambal-Belacan, a condiment that gives that spicy and delicious flavor to many dishes. I used carrots and potatoes for the recipe below, but you can use any other vegetable.
What is Galangal?
Galangal is a root that belongs to the family of Ginger; however, it is less spicy and more citrusy than Ginger.
What is Belacan?
Belacan is a shrimp paste made from crushed shrimp and salt and then fermented for several weeks. Here in Asia, you can find it in supermarkets, but in other countries, you can find it in Chinese supermarkets and shops selling Oriental and Asian food.
How to serve this dish?
Serve this dish with rice and garnish with coriander leaves. If you’re not a fan, use parsley leaves for a pop of green.
Can you make a vegan version?
For a vegan version of Sambal Belacan, create your own using dried wakame to replicate the shrimp flavor. Substitute chicken with plant-based proteins like tofu for a vegan-friendly twist on this dish.
Don’t forget to explore my other Asian-inspired recipes for more delightful culinary adventures!
Sambal-Belacan Chicken with vegetables
Ingredients
- 3 clove garlic
- 1 carrot
- 7 shallots
- 2 potatoes
- 1 red chili pepper (deveined and deseeded)
- 1 chicken breast
- 60 ml coconut milk
- 250 ml water
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 fresh coriander leaves to garnish
- 1/3 cucumber to garnish
Instructions
- Make the sambal Belacan paste: Blend the Belacan, chili peppers, cashew nuts, shallots, lemongrass lime leaves with 1 tbsp of water.
- Chop the carrots into small cubes.
- Peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes.
- Cut the chicken into small pieces.
- Chop the garlic finely.
- Chop the shallots.
- Chop the red chili pepper.
- Heat oil in a wok or pan, then add the onion and garlic and stir fry until it becomes soft and slightly caramelized.
- Add the paste (prepared previously) and stir fry until fragrant.
- Add chicken, add salt to taste, mix well and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
- Add coconut milk, water, red chili pepper, carrots, and potatoes.
- Lower heat, cover the pot, and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Serve with rice
- Garnish with coriander, cucumber and optionally with Banana leaves.
