Emulsifier Free Sambal Oelek
Bright, fiery, and built entirely from whole ingredients, this sambal oelek delivers serious heat with a citrusy backbone that makes it endlessly versatile. Store-bought chili pastes and condiments are notorious for sneaking in stabilizers and emulsifying agents that have no business being in a simple chili sauce — making homemade the obvious move for anyone avoiding those additives. Here, it's just fresh red chilies, garlic, ginger, lime juice, olive oil, and salt — nothing hidden, nothing processed. The food processor does the heavy lifting, and a deliberate coarse pulse keeps the texture chunky and rustic rather than turning it into a slick, uniform paste. That rough, flecked consistency is exactly what makes it so good spooned over rice, stirred into noodles, or used as a dipping sauce. A batch comes together in minutes and keeps in the fridge for up to a week, so you always have a clean, additive-free heat source ready to go.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 8 oz fresh red fresno or red jalapeño chilies, stems removed, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt, or to taste
Instructions
- 1
Combine the chopped chilies, garlic, and ginger in a food processor or blender. Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely ground — the texture should be chunky and rough, not a smooth purée.
- 2
Add the lime juice, olive oil, and salt. Pulse 3–4 more times until just combined and the paste holds together but still has visible chili flecks. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
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