In fact if there are days when your dishes are not "happening"(a local way of saying that it is not turning out to expectations), a good sambal belachan could make up for it.

Mediocre fried veg + bland meat dish = Miserable meal
Mediocre fried veg + bland meat dish + Sambal Belachan = Happy Meal (toy is superfluous)

That's right. SB is a super flavor enhancer. When you couple umami-ladened belachan and fiery chillies, you have a combination which satisfies a few cravings at one go.

Take a few moments to understand SB a bit more and it can help you to make good lots consistently.

You need belachan (dried shrimp paste) of course. You need to toast it to mellow the fishy flavours and add a smoky dimension to what is already a complex ingredient. I love those from Penang. Use the wet type which comes in blocks. The powder forms won't do as the taste is not as intense. Heat up a pan and gently roast the belachan pieces.

Fresh red chillies these days are not as spicy as it used to be, and it depends on the season or where you get yours from. You can add some chilli padi (bird's eye chillies). My preference is to avoid over-spicing the SB so that diners can eat more of it. That said, if your family are seasoned chilli eaters, ignore my advice.

Shallots will add some sweetness and body. My mum's version will include some turmeric and lengkuas (blue ginger). All three will up the flavour and fragrance of your SB.

My fav brand of belachan

If you have a lesong, pounding instead of blending will result in flaky bits of chillies and shallots which do make a difference to the eating. Check out the lead photo. It is difficult to get this kind of texturing without pounding the traditional way. You will be crying too. So, wear your specs, or maybe a pair of swimming goggles!

If you are making a large quantity, the results are not tragic if you have to use the electric blender. Your grandma may "ngam ngam chum chum" (complain) but better a whirring sound than a sobbing one.

Remember to add some sugar. Squeeze some lime juice and add some chopped kaffir lime leaves (daun limau perut) just before serving.

Here is my Mum's recipe.

Auntie Ruby Sambal Belachan Recipe

Pound the following:
Add some finely shredded Kaffir Lime leaves (limau perut). Squeeze some lime juice just before serving.

The ingredients (right) to fit one mortar session of SB (left)

Now, you can buy some commercial belachan and there are some good ones out there. If you decide to make some yourself, I recommend that you "go all the way" i.e. use the lesong, pound and include some aromatics. If your home version is only marginally better than commercial ones, you might as well just buy it.

The recipe above is just nice to fit my mortar and it will give you about a 200ml bottle of SB.

A bottle of SB for the fridge.

This recipe is just a guide. Add or reduce ingredients according to your taste preference. Increase the amount of chilli padi if you want a SB that is really "shiok", i.e. make you sweat. You can also zest some lime skin to add flavour and contrasting green colour (see a plate of it below), especially if you do not have the green kaffir lime leaves at hand.