Sambal Ulek Recipe

Wash the chillies, then just remove the stalks, but not the seeds. Put the whole chillies into the jar of a blender, add about 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar then blend. (Warning, don't lift the lid straight off the blender jar and look in - you could get a major hit of chilli fumes! Let it settle before opening the lid, carefully.) If the chilli paste is too thick and chunky, add a little more vinegar, then blend again: it should become a smooth paste. Then stir in the salt. Keep the finished chilli paste in a sterilised jar in the fridge, ready to use whenever chillies are needed in a recipe. This is an Indonesian style chilli paste, a great way to keep excess chillies you've harvested.

It's adapted from 'The Complete Asian Cookbook' by Charmaine Solomon. Burke's Backyard Magazine