Sambal Cuttlefish Balls

Having made a big batch of sambal tumis, I have to put it to good use. This is a really easy way of cooking with sambal: deep-fried cuttlefish (sotong) balls slathered in the spicy sambal sauce.

See Also:

Sambal Tumis Recipe

You can replace cuttlefish balls with regular fish balls. With the ikan bilis powder I used to season the dish, the sambal chilli tastes just like nasi lemak chilli. It goes so well with white rice … totally sedap!

Sambal Cuttlefish Balls Recipe

Sambal Fish Balls Recipe

You can season the sambal sauce with either salt, fish sauce or home-made ikan bilis powder. Adjust the amount of water to achieve the desired sauce consistency.

Ingredients:

  • 8 cuttlefish or fish balls
  • vegetable oil for deep frying
  • 1/2 red onion cut to rough wedges
  • water optional

(A) Sambal Sauce

Directions:

  1. Heat cooking oil in a pot. Add cuttlefish balls and deep-fry until light golden brown. Drain excess oil on paper towels or tempura paper.
  2. Add (A) to a wok. Bring to a quick simmer and season to taste.
  3. Add onions and stir fry briefly until just softened. Add water if you prefer a more watery sauce. Turn off the heat and add the cooked balls to the wok, coating them evenly in the sambal sauce.