The words 'sambal' and 'belachan' are closely associated with each other, as all Malaysians and a number of Singaporeans would know. So, what is the difference between Sambal Sauce and Belachan Sauce?
Well, there are TWO ingredients in Belachan Sauce that are not in Sambal Sauce: Candlenut (or 'buah keras' for those not in the know) and Lemongrass. So, basically the focus of this post is trivia on candlenut and lemongrass.
According to webmd.com, lemongrass can cure a lot of ailments, including stomachache, vomiting, coughs, the common cold, fever, exhaustion, achy joints, convulsions, high blood pressure and digestive tract spasms. So, lemongrass on its own is really good. But, you know what's better? Lemongrass in MCM Belachan Sauce! Anyway, the use of lemongrass in cooking is as versatile as its use for medicinal purposes. It can be used in teas, soups, broths, braising liquids, curry pastes, marinades, stir-fries, salads and spice rubs.
Okay, an interesting trivia on candlenut. Do you know that it can be used as a candle? Hence, the name candlenut. According to culinarylore.com, this is because candlenuts have such a high oil content (Wikipedia mentions that 15% to 20% of the nut's weight is purely oil). When it comes to cooking, culinarylore.com mentions that candlenuts are predominantly used in Malaysia, Indonesia and Hawaii. Mostly used as a thickener and texture enhancer in curry pastes and other dishes. The site mentions that candlenut is used in a Malaysian curry dish called kapitan. Well, we Googled 'kapitan curry' and on asianfoodchannel.com, there's a recipe by Martin Yan for Kapitan Curry Chicken. Yup, candlenut is used in the curry paste for that dish.
So, does this make MCM Belachan Sauce superior to MCM Sambal Sauce? Why don't you be the judge of that because obviously we created these sauces for all kinds of cooking. Belachan Sauce & Sambal Sauce – Best Friends Forever <3
