This is the salty, crunchy, sticky little pile that sits on the side of a nasi lemak plate and quietly steals the show. Fried ikan bilis and peanuts get coated in a dark chilli sambal that is sweet from palm sugar and sour from tamarind.
The two things worth getting right are the frying and the sambal. Fry the anchovies until properly crisp and drain them well, and cook the chilli paste patiently until the oil separates, which is when the raw edge disappears and the flavour turns deep and rounded.
It keeps in a jar in the fridge for a week and gets better after a day, so it is worth making a full batch. Spoon it over rice, congee, noodles or a fried egg.
