Sambal is ‘chili sauce’ in Indonesia . It comes in many varieties ranging from the sweet to the incredibly hot, and it is served with most meals.
Combrang refers to the petals of the bunga kecombrang (''etlingera elatior'' is the definition provided in the dictionary) a beautiful, pink-red tropical flower (see photos). Nobody here including me knows what it is called in English.
This morning Kartika made some of this delicious sambal, which she described as her own creation based on combining Sundanese (West Java) and Balinese styles of sambal. After having some with my breakfast, I asked her for the recipe, and here is my translation. I think a blog about the process of making a documentary film can include a recipe or two, can’t it?
Combrang Chili Sauce a la Kartika
Ingredient should be as fresh as possible, and amounts are more a set of guidelines than rules – use as much or little as you like!
10 small, red onions
1 clove garlic
1 hot red pepper
1 hot green pepper
All chopped into small chunks
Add salt to taste
Some people like to add a little sugar
Mix it all up, with your hands is best (if you can do it without burning your fingers)
Then add –
kecombrang flower petals
Use an amount of combrang equal to the amount of onions. Only use the inner, tender young petals; the flavor of the outer petals is too strong. If combrang is not available, you can substitute orange leaves (after removing the stem) or lemongrass (using the soft part in the middle.) I suppose you could substitute other edible flower petals that looked and taste good. Whatever you use, cut it up into small bits and add it to the already mixed other ingredients.
A little oil, coconut or vegetable or whatever kind you like, maybe 1 spoonful
A little bit of shrimp paste, perhaps a level teaspoon
Heat the oil just a bit – don’t fry it, just warm it – then add the shrimp paste.
Add the warm oil with shrimp paste to the other ingredients, mix gently but thoroughly.
Serve in a bowl as a condiment so each person can use as much or little as they like. Try it with grilled vegetables, chicken, fish or meat.
