Best Substitute For Sambal Oelek! Sambal Oelek is a famous chili sauce in Indonesia and other Asian countries. This is an authentic Indonesian chili sauce that is made by grinding it using a mortar and pestle. It tastes spicy and strong and is a favorite of many people. Usually, its use is quite good in giving flavor to soups, and stir-fries. However, sometimes we run out of stock in the kitchen so we have to find a substitute so that food and recipes can still be cooked deliciously.
If you have to find a substitute for Sambal Oelek, what chili sauce can you use? There are several other types of processed foods that have almost the same or similar taste to Sambal Oelek. So, you don’t need to worry when your favorite chili sauce runs out. You can find some of the best substitutes and even with the ingredients in the kitchen, you can make other types of chili sauce to replace Sambal Oelek. You can use this substitute sauce for various types of food that you enjoy with Sambal Oelek such as stir-fries, making noodles, or to give a spicy taste to your favorite sauce.
Among the many substitutes for Sambal Oelek, sriracha sauce is the closest and most similar to Sambal Oelek. However, sriracha is slightly sweeter, while the level of spiciness is comparable. Another way to find the best substitute for Sambal Oelek is to combine fresh shrimp paste and garlic, a little salt, and vinegar.
For any recipe that requires Sambal Oelek, you can replace it with some of these substitutes and don’t worry because your food will still taste delicious and yummy.
Best Substitute For Sambal Oelek
1. Gochujang
Gochujang is a sambal that is rich like Oelek too, both provide a spicy taste and food and until now gochujang has been known as a kitchen spice that is very well maintained. It’s just that gochujang is a type of fermented chili paste, it can add a sweet taste, and umami to food more intensely.
It can be said that Gochujang is a good substitute for Sambal Oelek with a more complex taste, but still provides a spicy taste like gochujang. Gochujang is suitable to replace Sambal Oelek in several dishes such as stir-fries, marinades, sauces, and soups.
Gochujang is also used as a dipping seasoning for several types of snacks and is also good to add to fast food such as burgers and pizza. With this sambal, you will find the spicy taste you crave in Sambal Oelek.
2. Harissa
Then, there is Harissa which is considered good to replace Sambal Oelek. This is a spicy paste and is similar to Oelek in giving a spicy and savory taste to the dish. Hasissa not only gives a spicy taste, but there is a smoky taste, there is a fragrant aroma of spices, and of course this is very complex compared to Sambal Oelek.
The spicy, fragrant taste of Harissa comes from the ingredients used such as roasted peppers, garlic, and a mixture of several spices such as coriander, and cumin. This extraordinary collaboration makes the taste of food more nuanced and deep.
Harissa is a versatile sambal so it can be used in many dishes such as in dishes, sandwiches, sauces, stews, and marinades. If you like to enjoy hummus that uses Sambal Oelek to enhance the flavor, you can replace it with harissa for a delicious hummus, or to enhance the flavor of grilled meat and grilled vegetables.
3. Hot Sauce
One of the best substitutes for Sambal Oelek is hot sauce. There are many variations of hot sauce, but it can still provide a steady spicy taste and is comparable to Sambal Oelek, so you can use it as a suitable substitute.
The use of hot sauce can also be used to give flavor to soup like Sambal Oelek, or to give spiciness to noodles and stir-fries. So, now you don’t need to worry anymore when you run out of your favorite Sambal Oelek.
4. Srirach
Srirach is a spicy and delicious substitute for Sambal Oelek. This substitute seems to give a pleasant touch to your cooking. Even though the level of heat is comparable, there is a slight sweetness and garlic flavor in this chili paste.
Sambal Oelek is a chili paste that is widely used in Asian menus, especially in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. If at any time you run out of Sambal Oelek, you can use sriracha to complement dishes such as noodles, fried rice, and boiled eggs, or use it as a sauce and marinade.
If you like spicy food, Sriracha can be an alternative to Sambal Oelek in your cooking. The spicy taste is very pronounced and even dominant and use only as much as you need.
5. Sweet Chilli Sauce
Sweet chilli sauce is a chili paste that is spicy even though it has a sweet taste and this is one of the substitutes for Sambal Oelek that you can consider.
This sauce balances spicy and sweet, for those of you who don’t really like the sharp spicy taste, then you can replace Sambal Oelek with sweet chilli sauce. This is a chili paste that is easy to adapt and is good for bringing a savory taste to dishes. It is also very suitable as a marinade for red meat and chicken, even suitable for adding to stir-fries, and is also good as a dipping sauce. If you like tacos, burgers, and grilled food, then sweet chilli sauce is good to replace Sambal Oelek and is ready to make your food ready and popular at parties or family gatherings.
6. Chili Garlic Sauce
Chili garlic sauce is another alternative to Sambal Oelek. This sauce provides a sharp, strong taste, from the combination of the spiciness of garlic and cayenne pepper. Of course, this will add to the taste and flavor of food.
Asian cuisine generally uses Sambal Oelek, replacing it with chili garlic will give the same taste, but the taste is deeper, soft but spicy. You can use this garlic sauce to replace Sambal Oelek in several dishes such as dips, dumplings, spring rolls, or stir-fries and noodles.
7. Chili Crisp
Chili crisp is also included in the list of sauces that can replace Sambal Oelek because both have a strong spicy taste, but chili crisp tastes savory with a touch of garlic, shallots, and aromatic spices used.
Adding chili crisp can enhance the taste of the dish by providing crunchiness and additional flavor. You can use chili crisp as a substitute for Sambal Oelek in dishes such as spring rolls, and dumplings, or sprinkle it on noodles and rice.
If you like spicier in cooking, it seems you can try chili crisp for dishes or dishes that use Sambal Oelek, and feel the extraordinary sensation.
8. Red Pepper Flakes
What do you do when you want the taste of Sambal Oelek and don’t have it? Well, in this condition you don’t need to worry anymore because there are many choices that can replace it. Maybe one of them is red pepper flakes, and it’s true that this is a good substitute for the taste of Sambal Oelek.
Red pepper flakes provide a comparable spicy taste but there is a little additional taste in the form of a slightly sour taste. This can be the best substitute when you want a legit and enchanting Asian taste.
Red pepper flakes are easy to reach, cheap, and quick to adapt. You can use red pepper flakes as a substitute for Sambal Oelek in dishes such as stir-fries, sauces, soups, and marinades. You can adjust the dosage to the level of spiciness you want.
9. Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper is one of the best substitutes for Sambal Oelek, this is fantastic for those of you who are running out of Sambal Oelek stock.
The cayenne is a very spicy chili and you have to be careful when making it as a substitute for Sambal Oelek, use it according to your tolerance. This is an ingredient that is easy to find so many people use it as a substitute. If you usually use Sambal Oelek in stir-fries, marinades, soups, and sauces, then when you run out of Sambal Oelek you can use this cayenne pepper to replace it.
You can still complete your cooking even without your favorite Sambal Oelek. Its sharp spicy taste makes it perfect for providing a sharp taste. Not only that, cayenne pepper also provides many health benefits such as for digestion, and body metabolism.
10. Homemade Sambal Oelek
When you run out of Sambal Oelek, there is nothing to worry about. You can easily still make your usual dishes because you can make your own Sambal Oelek at home. This homemade chili sauce is not only sharp, and strong, but also delicious and perfect to replace Sambal Oelek.
To make homemade sambal oelek, you can take ingredients such as fresh chilies, vinegar, garlic, and without using preservatives. Homemade sambal is certainly healthier because you can measure and control the ingredients you use yourself.
You can use this homemade Sambal Oelek like other Sambal Oelek. You can add it to stir-fries, marinades, dipping sauces, or to enhance the taste of noodles and fried rice.
11. Chile Powder
There is one more that you put on the list for best substitutes for Sambal Oelek. This is chile powder, it is also suitable and fits both in terms of taste and spiciness.
Adding it to cooking can enhance the taste and the level of spiciness of the dish. According to what you want. Chile powder is made from ground dried chilies, maybe it tastes quite spicy. You can add it slowly to the dish, you can adjust the hot level yourself as it suits your tongue.
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Conclusion
If you are looking for a substitute for Sambal Oelek, you don’t need to panic. There are many ingredients and chili pastes that can replace it and can even provide more value. If you want to replace it with a spicy and ideal chili sauce. You can use Sriracha, chili flakes, and chili paste. In addition, you can also use red chili flakes with a little vinegar added. These substitutes will transform your stir-fries, marinades, soups, and other spicy dishes into delicious and enjoyable dishes.
So, if you are running out or are missing Sambal Oelek, then go to the kitchen and grab whatever spicy ingredients you have. You can make it yourself easily and can control the healthy ingredients you use.
