About this component
Not a sauce but the foundation of Malay-world cooking — a wet pounded paste of aromatics fried until fragrant to begin curries, sambals and braises. Every cook's rempah is a little different; this is a versatile starting point.
Component facts
- Yield
- About 1 cup (240 ml)
- Prep
- 30 minutes
- Heat
- Mild (base)
Development draft. This is an untested development recipe from the cookbook project. It has not been kitchen-tested, and the quantities and timings are the author’s working draft rather than a verified result.
Ingredients
- 8 dried chiles, soaked
- 4 shallots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 stalks lemongrass, sliced
- 1 in (2.5 cm) galangal
- 1 in (2.5 cm) fresh turmeric (or 1 tsp ground)
- 4 candlenuts, toasted
- 1 tsp (5 g) belacan (optional)
Method
- Toast the candlenuts (they must be cooked — mildly toxic raw).
- Pound or blend all ingredients with a little oil to a smooth paste.
- Fry the paste in oil over medium-low heat 10–15 minutes until deeply fragrant and the oil separates ('pecah minyak').
- Use as the base for curries and sambals.
Notes from the book
- Balancing
- A savory-aromatic base, not seasoned to eat alone; frying long enough is essential.
- Substitutions
- Macadamia for candlenuts; ground turmeric for fresh (less bright).
- Storage and food safety
- Refrigerate fried paste up to 1 week or freeze up to 3 months. Contains tree nut (candlenut) and optional shellfish.
Pairs with in this book
The Complete Edition
Malay Rempah (Base Spice Paste) sits in the foundations
The book carries this component alongside the other twenty-three, the twenty-seven pantry studies, and the Malaysia chapter it belongs to.
Available from Amazon
- Kindle edition — $9.99 (Kindle Store price) — available now
- Paperback — $49.99 (print list price) — available now