One Sambal Is Never Enough
“For an Indonesian, no meal is complete without sambal,” writes Lara Lee in the introduction of her new book, Coconut & Sambal. The sweeping book contains ten different variations on the spicy and dynamic condiment, of which there are hundreds of iterations and family recipes across the island nation of nearly 270 million people. There’s the fiery green sambal hijau padang, which combines green chiles, anchovies, and lime juice. There’s the copper-colored sambal kacang, which is creamy with blended peanuts and made fruity with tamarind paste. And there’s the sambal matah, which brings together matchsticks of fresh ginger with rounds of banana shallot and lemongrass.
These sambals were the cornerstones of the food Lee grew up eating with her f...
