Hey, peeps!
Remember how last month, I was going on and on about cutting carbs in my diet and adding more vegetables especially for lunch? Well, truth be told, the diet actually worked. I’ve lost some weight and even friends noticed my tummy was a bit flatter. In case you’re new to the whole healthy diet thing, well, once you’ve cut down the carbs, your body will start to burn the stored fat to fuel itself. So, yes, the stored fat is the culprit that causes your body to ahem, fold, and flab here and there.
Anyway, one day while I was scrolling through Instagram, I came across this profile of a local homemade sambal (chili paste) maker, Sambal Sarimah that sells 11 types of sambal . When I clicked on the profile, oh wow, I learnt that Sambal Sarimah is also based in Setapak. How convenient!
(Thank you, Sambal Sarimah!)
But at that period of time, I was still on my one-month kambing (goat) diet, so I decided to stick to my low carb resolution for a bit longer. Trust me, seeing the profile popping up on Instagram one too many times almost tempted me to cheat on my diet.
So, once the whole one month of low carbs and high protein diet ended, I sent a Whatsapp text to the number on the profile and made my first batch of orders – sambal bunga kantan (chili paste with torch ginger flower), sambal petai (chili paste with stink beans) and sambal hitam tomato bilis (chili paste with tomato and anchovies). Besides, I’ve been working from home since early October, so I had no issues spending some time in the kitchen to cook for lunch. So, while negotiating on the terms of delivery, Ms. Sarimah informed me that one of her agents just lives right around the corner from where I live. Now that’s literally a stone’s throw away.
(Thank you, Sambal Sarimah!)
So, later that night, I just stepped out from my house and started walking to the agent’s house. Her name is Hidayah and apparently we have been neighbours for quite some years. But since there’s about a decade of age gap between us, I suppose, we never really grew up together or went to the same school.
I swear, when I bought the sambal, I was already thinking about the lunch menu the next day. But when I reached home, the sambal smell was so appetising that I couldn’t stop myself from cooking a fresh pot of rice! Yikes! Now at my ahem, advanced age, I don’t usually eat rice at night unless I’m really hungry. But that night, I threw my self-control to the wind and waited patiently for my rice to cook.
The sambal bunga kantan was the first I tried with piping hot rice. The taste was phenomenal. I’ve always loved bunga kantan or torch ginger flowers, especially in asam pedas. I’m usually the one digging deep in the pot for the yummilicious petals. Forget the fish or chicken, haha! Surprisingly, the sambal bunga kantan was not spicy at all. In fact, I think children can enjoy this. You can read more about bunga kantan HERE!
After finishing my (first!) plate of rice and sambal, I thought, what harm was there to give the sambal petai a try. What was I thinking at that very moment! Immediately, as the sharp spicy flavour touched my tongue, I was more than eager to add a couple more scoops of rice into my plate, haha! Please don’t blame me. I accidentally cooked extra rice that night, oops!
Oh, yeah, for those who didn’t think someone like the fabulous Ms. Paris doesn’t eat petai, well, you’re wrong. I love eating them. I can just throw the beans into a wok and fry them with chopped chili and onions and I’m good! Of course, I don’t usually eat petai when I work regular hours at the office. I restrict myself to eating petai only on Friday night when I don’t go out so that by Monday, my body is cleansed from the after smell, haha! Yes, the pain of being a PR Girl! Image and branding are very important. The health benefits of petai are important too!
Remember when I said earlier that I bought 3 types of sambal? So, yeah, I thought, why not try it too! I actually liked this sambal hitam tomato bilis. It was actually different from the traditional sambal hitam from Pahang that is made of belimbing buluh. It turns out that belimbing buluh is bilimbi in English! Just when I thought I could translate it as a variant of starfruit, since belimbing is starfruit, haha! Anyway, this sambal hitam had a tinge of sweetness that I thought would go well as a spread on a slice of bread.
(Thank you, Sambal Sarimah!)
I was actually very pleased with the sambal menu from Sambal Sarimah. In fact, one day I just toyed with the idea to buy more sambal in sampler packs so I could do an extended review. Oh, my God! Ms. Sarimah and Hidayah were such sweethearts, they gave me 6 types of sambal to try for free.
I even recorded this video immediately after, but it’s in Malay though.
So, again, peeps, let’s keep our Malaysian businesses thriving at times of COVID19. Like I always say over and over again, we Malays need to stop being jealous towards others and become kinder in supporting those around us. Be good, do good!
(Thank you, Sambal Sarimah!)
(Thank you, Sambal Sarimah!)
Oh, yeah, if you must now, all sambal from Sambal Sarimah is cooked every morning on the same delivery day to ensure its freshness and quality. Just to note, they use fresh ingredients instead of the instant chili paste we can buy at the groceries. Also, they don’t use any preservatives, so please keep the sambal in the fridge and consume it within 3 days. Well, honestly, I doubt one container can go a long way since the sambal is just so darn good! In fact the other day I sent 2 different types of sambal to my blogger friend, Kak Suria Amanda. She said that the minute she brought the sambal home, she couldn’t get to snap photos because her family loved the sambal so much! They finished it all in one serving!
And please guys, don’t even try your luck to ask if the Promo Code: KAWANPARIS has some weight here. Since I don’t know Ms. Sarimah personally, but perhaps you can redeem the promo code with my friends who run their businesses, haha!
Enjoy your sambal, peeps!
XOXO,
Paris Ashiqin
