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Sambal

Sambal is a spicy Southeast Asian chili-based sauce or relish used as a condiment and cooking paste.

Sambal — illustrative ingredient image

About Sambal

Sambal is a chili-based sauce, relish, or cooking paste whose exact ingredients and preparation vary by style. It commonly contains ground or chopped chilies with aromatics and may include salt, acid, sweeteners, or fermented components.

It is served as a condiment or stirred into savory dishes during cooking. Sambal commonly has pronounced chili heat with savory, acidic, sweet, or fermented notes depending on the formulation. Its texture may be smooth, coarse, wet, or relatively thick.

Sambal may be sold fresh, cooked, fermented, bottled, jarred, or as a concentrated paste. Its color ranges from green to vivid red or dark brown, while cooking, fermentation, grinding, and concentration alter its texture and intensity.

Ingredient type
sauce

Forms & related ingredients

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Where sambal appears

2 linked foods

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Main dishes

Rice dishes

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for sambal

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Sambal

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Sambal nutrition & diet

Sambal nutritional value

Reference: Chilli sauce (Sambal Oelek)

Per 100 g of 100 g edible portion in the named official reference form.

Calories
55kcal
Protein
1.4g
Carbs
9.4g
Fat
0.4g

Official national food-composition reference. The displayed food form is part of the estimate; cultivar, recipe, brand, processing and preparation can change values.

Portions & preparation

Sambal requires a recipe-specific reading because chili, salt, acid, aromatics, oil, sugar, and other ingredients vary widely. Match the reference to the actual sauce or relish and serving amount, distinguishing a spooned condiment from sambal used as a cooking paste.

Compare the right form: Match a reference to the specific sambal recipe and ready-to-eat sauce or relish form, including oil, sugar, liquid, and solids when present.

Diet considerations

Sambal is generally plant-based when made only from chilies, aromatics, acid, salt, and plant ingredients, but recipes differ. Animal additions such as shrimp paste or fish sauce change compatibility. Sugar, sweet sauces, and starch thickeners also alter carbohydrate patterns; brand or recipe review is essential.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Depends on the version
  • Vegetarian
    Depends on the version
  • Pescatarian
    May be compatible
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Depends on the version
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Depends on the version
Optional or variable recorded ingredients: Shrimp Paste. The ingredient profile identifies an animal-derived food or derivative. Recipes and products can differ.
Vegetarian · Depends on the version
Optional or variable recorded ingredients: Shrimp Paste. The profile identifies animal flesh, seafood or a derivative excluded by a vegetarian diet. Recipes and products can differ.
Pescatarian · May be compatible
The recorded ingredients may fit this pattern. This is not a complete recipe or manufacturing specification; check additions and preparation.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Depends on the version
Optional or variable recorded ingredients: Shrimp Paste. Recorded common ingredients: Shrimp. This profile identifies shellfish, which does not meet the kosher fish criteria. Recipes and products can differ. Recipes and products can differ.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: Bundeslebensmittelschlüssel (BLS) 4.0, 2025 — R146100 ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .