White Rice with Spicy Tomato Sambal

Bahan-bahan(untuk 1 rice bowl with 3 tbsp sambal per person)

• 1 cup White rice (beras putih) (preferably fragrant rice like Basmati or local beras)
• 1 leaf Pandan leaf (daun pandan) (tied into a knot) - pilihan
• 1.5 cups Water (for cooking rice)
• 3 medium Tomatoes (ripe, diced)
• 3 Red chilies (cili merah) (deseeded for less heat)
• 3 cloves Shallots (bawang merah) (peeled and sliced)
• 2 cloves Garlic (bawang putih) (peeled)
• 1 tbsp Cooking oil (preferably canola or sunflower)
• 2 tsp Tamarind juice (air asam jawa) (see tip for preparation)
• 1/2 tsp Sugar (can use palm sugar (gula Melaka)) - pilihan
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 leaf Kaffir lime leaf (daun limau purut) (finely sliced) - pilihan

Arahan

1. 1

   Rinse the white rice under running water until the water runs clear. Add rice, water, and pandan leaf to a rice cooker. Cook until fluffy.

   15 minutes

   Adding pandan leaf enhances the aroma of the rice.

2. 2

   Prepare the sambal base by blending tomatoes, red chilies, shallots, and garlic into a coarse paste.

   5 minutes

   For a milder sambal, remove seeds from chilies before blending.

3. 3

   Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Sauté the blended paste for 5-7 minutes, stirring until fragrant and the oil separates.

   7 minutes

   Keep stirring to prevent the sambal from burning.

4. 4

   Add tamarind juice, sugar, and salt to the sambal. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes until the sambal thickens and flavors meld.

   5 minutes

   Adjust salt and sugar to balance the sourness and heat.