COCONUT SAMBAL

The invitation from Ashanti Omkar to join a food club of Chefs was met with a big 'Yes' and a decision I was proud of making. Dinner started at 7pm, however I knew I would be late as the journey was over an hour away from me (traffic). An email stating the restaurant had run out of 'Lump rice', filled me with intrigue as I wasn't familiar with the dish. It turns out this is a decadent dish made with rice, your preferred choice of protein, curry  sauce, Green Bananas etc) which is slow baked in Banana leaf.

I'll say it has similarities with the decadent Waakye from Ghana.

The drive to meet the members had me in a reflective mood as I drove past familiar territories and memories.

The warmth of the group and their enthusiasm to get me to taste most of the dishes, made the whole evening a memorable one.

I had brown crab cakes and a taste of a dry paste like accompaniment , which turned out to be Coconut Sambal. I couldn't stop eating the Sambal, it was in my view the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. I echoed my love for the Sambal by imagining serving it with a crispy fried Red Snapper, however I managed with Tilapia instead.

I ordered some Goat curry (which was incredible), had a few bites of the elusive (Lump rice) thanks to Ashanti sharing some of hers (she got the last one) and a few other dishes.

The Sambal has a sweet, tangy and spicy taste which lends itself well with most dishes.

Thanks Ashanti Omkar for the invite, an amazing evening and to The Gutless Chef for the recipe.

I've tweaked the recipe to my preference, without deviating from the flavour.

Enjoy my new found 'Party in the mouth' recipe.

Oya, go to the market, grab some fish, Prawns or Crab and enjoy it with this incredible side dish.

 

Ingredients 

100g of freshly grated Coconut 

1 teaspoonful of Red chilli paste

20g of finely diced shallots

2 large deseeded and cubed Tomatoes 

1 teaspoon of Coconut oil

Juice of 1 Lime

1 teaspoonful of Shrimp powder 

Salt to taste 

 

Method 

Place the diced Tomatoes and  Onions into a bowl.

 Add the Lime juice, mix well and set aside.

Place the grated fresh Coconut into a frying pan.

Dry fry the Coconut for about 2 minutes (stirring constantly) this intensifies the Coconut flavour.

Add the Coconut oil , Red Chilli paste, Shrimp powder, Salt and fry further 2 minutes .

Set it aside till it completely cools down.

Add the Tomatoes mixture and mix everything till well combined.

Best served with most Seafood dishes.

I served mine with a crispy fried Tilapia.

Enjoy 

 

All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog.