30 sambai recipes

Sanbaizu is a classic Japanese dipping sauce made with rice vinegar, dashi, soy sauce, and sugar. A light, tangy all-purpose condiment for dumplings, sashimi, and sunomono.

South Indian sambar with toor dal, potatoes, tomatoes, and tamarind in a spiced lentil broth finished with a mustard seed tempering. Serve with rice, idli, or dosa.

Homemade sambar powder (sambar podi) with toasted channa dal, coriander seeds, red chilies, fenugreek, and asafetida. An essential South Indian spice blend.

Tender squid rings stir-fried in a fiery paste of almonds, chiles, and shrimp paste, then simmered in coconut milk with tamarind and lemongrass. Serve this bold Indonesian sambal over steamed rice.

Fresh Indonesian relish with lime, tomatoes, onions, basil, and chili peppers. This bright, no-cook condiment takes 15 minutes to prep and develops incredible flavor as it sits.

Indonesian sambal ikan transforms tuna into a spicy-sweet coconut relish with shallots, garlic, and candlenuts. Serve hot or cold as a bold condiment or side dish.

Squid is cooked in a base of delicious seasonings made with onion, garlic, hot chili peppers and paprika, which gives the squid lots of yumminess and great texture.

Sambal goreng telor, Indonesian hard-boiled eggs simmered in a spicy coconut milk and red pepper sauce with galangal. A quick 20-minute Southeast Asian egg dish.

Baked plantain loaf from Ivory Coast made with mashed ripe plantains, rice flour, chilli sambal, and turmeric. A gluten-free West African side dish served with salted peanuts.

Onion vetha kozhambu, a tangy South Indian tamarind gravy simmered with small onions, sambar powder, and a hit of hing, thickened with rice flour. A bold, sour-spicy Tamil curry to spoon over hot rice. Vegan.

Petjel terong is an Indonesian deep-fried eggplant in a creamy peanut coconut milk sauce with sambal badjak. Crispy slices soaked in a spicy, savory, slightly tangy dressing.

Spicy Indonesian noodles with ground beef, bacon, tomatoes, and authentic seasonings like boemboe nasi goreng and sambal oelek. This one-hour dish tastes even better the next day.

Hot bananas a la Baloo are grilled bananas marinated in honey, sambal oelek, and soy sauce. Spicy-sweet Indonesian-Japanese fusion side that pairs with grilled meats. Just four ingredients.

A South Indian-inspired sambar stew with Brussels sprouts and green beans simmered in a spiced yellow lentil purée with tamarind, mustard seeds, and fenugreek. Vegan, protein-rich, and served over rice.

Ajam Panggang is a flavorful Indonesian dish featuring chicken marinated in a rich blend of sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), garlic, lime, and spicy sambal ulek, then roasted or grilled until juicy and caramelized. Paired with crispy shrimp puffs (kroepoek oedang) and a thickened marinade sauce, it’s perfect as a standalone dish or part of an Indonesian rice table with nasi goreng (fried rice).

Lobster smoked over black lychee tea, brown sugar, and rice, then wrapped in rice paper with ripe mango, jicama, fresh herbs, and bean thread noodles. A spicy mango-sambal dipping sauce ties it all together.