Sambal is an authentic Indonesian condiment. With rice being most of Indonesians’ food item on the plate, sambal is the perfect complement to it. Almost every region in Indonesia has its own sambal. Portrayed as a dipping sauce, Indonesians dip their proteins into sambal, such as chicken, beef, other animal meats, and even tempeh or tofu. Most Indonesians add sambal to their meals, even to foods generally known and to be served without sambal. Fellow foodies, how important is sambal to your meals?
Out of the many Indonesian sambal, I take a shine to Sambal Cabuk. Sambal Cabuk is a chili condiment with black sesame oil fermented waste. It is native to one of Central Java’s regencies, Wonogiri. Even so, Sambal Cabuk is not the only sambal from Central Java. Central and East Java’s unique characteristic is its sambal’s sweet flavor, including Sambal Cabuk. However, Sambal Cabuk is much more than just sweet.
Sambal Cabuk
The first time I stumbled upon Sambal Cabuk was in 2017 when I went to Wonogiri for my college trip. Since we were in Central Java, I sure expected all the food I would eat to be sweet. I didn’t even think that sambal would be part of our meal. On the first day of our trip, the host welcomed us with home-cooked meals and Sambal Cabuk. Sambal Cabuk continued to be the condiment of our meals until our last day there.
The very first time I tasted Sambal Cabuk, it blew my mind. The almost creamy texture felt like it melted in my mouth. Combined with the fried tempeh, tofu, and chicken that I had, the sambal perfectly complemented the humble dish. Although I’m not typically into sweet sambal, the overall combination was proven to be really delightful. It was great with only white rice, but even better with the proteins, making it a humble yet quality meal.
Sambal Cabuk isn’t made just out of chili. It mixes curly red chili, garlic, candlenuts, salt, sugar, and oil. What makes it unique is the addition of Cabuk, a black sesame oil fermented waste, to the mix. The sesame seeds will go through a fermentation process to make it into a paste-like form. The one who makes Sambal Cabuk has to pound the chili, garlic, and candlenuts. Then, cook the ingredients together. After adding the Cabuk, the maker has to stir the mix for about two hours. But it doesn’t stop there.
After intensive mixing, brown sugar, Thai basil, and grated coconut are added to the mixture. Lastly, the Sambal Cabuk mixture is wrapped with a banana leaf to finish. Some Wonogiri people relish this authentic Wonogiri condiment with only white rice.
While Sambal Cabuk is native to Wonogiri, finding the black sesame plants can be a bit challenging, as they are not widespread throughout the region. They are considered relatively rare, and people often need to visit traditional markets or obtain Sambal Cabuk directly from producers passed down through generations.
Some can taste the spicy, sour, and sweet in Sambal Cabuk. The Sambal Cabuk I had in Wonogiri was the version without a banana leaf. The semi-finished version where the mix consists of curly red chili, garlic, candlenuts, salt, sugar, oil, and the Cabuk only.
Nevertheless, it was a sambal that left me wanting for more. The more prominent taste was the sweetness that it had. Yet, it wasn’t an overpowering sweet. It was a well-balanced mix of sweet, spicy, and savory at the same time that I love. For me, Sambal Cabuk brings excitement and anticipation to every meal.
Those humble home-cooked meals felt incredible because of Sambal Cabuk. Sambal Cabuk has stayed on my mind ever since. I’m not one to always look for sambal for every meal that I have. I could eat just fine without sambal. I wouldn’t feel like my food is missing something, either. But if there’s one sambal to complete my meal, it’s Wonogiri’s Sambal Cabuk. It was also a good trip with a friendly nuance and how the family host welcomed us, but Sambal Cabuk topped it, settling as one of the highlights of my Wonogiri trip.
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