Sambal Bajak Santan

**Indonesian Chili Cooked in Coconut Milk**

Ingredients:
* 20 pcs red chilis, serrano chilis, or anything red and spicy…. yummm
* 6 pcs shallots
* 6 pcs garlic
* 2 pcs large red tomatoes, chopped
* 2 tsp shrimp paste or belacan , fried or roasted first
* 2 tsp indonesian palm sugar or gula jawa - may be added later if necessary
* 2 bay leaves
* 2 stalks of lemon grass - smashed
* 2 cm of galangal root - some may call it the blue ginger
* 4 pcs kaffir lime leaves
* 2 tsp tamarind extract
* 1 cup of thick coconut milk or coconut powder

Cooking Directions:
1. Put the chilis, shallots and garlic in food processor
2. Heat the skillet, stir fry the processed chilis until fragrant
3. Add lemon grass, bay leaves, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, palm sugar, shrimp paste and chopped tomatoes. Stir in coconut milk gradually while mixing thoroughly
4. On low heat, keep stirring the sambal for a while until there’s a distinct fragrance, different from the previous one
5. Add salt, pepper, tamarind extract for taste…. and ready to serve.

**Recipe from my Mom