For a fast and easy side dish, look no further than sambal telur. Featuring delicious hard boiled eggs coated in a hot and spicy sambal sauce, this amazing egg sambal recipe is perfect alongside curries or rice!
Place eggs in a medium saucepan of cold water, then bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook for 5 minutes for slightly soft yolks or 8 minutes for hard boiled. Drain and peel.
4 eggs
For the sambal sauce:
Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent (around 1-2 mins). Tip: Don’t let them burn as it will change the flavour.
2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 onion
Next, pop in your sambal paste and makrut lime leaves and stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the mixture has loosened and it’s nice and fragrant. Tip: If it starts to burn, turn down the heat slightly and add a little water.
Finally, add the boiled eggs into the pan with the sambal and stir fry until heated through (2-3 mins should do it!).
Video
Notes
Eggs - We use regular chicken eggs but you could use any eggs you like.
Sambal - To make this as easily as possible we use store-bought sambal oelek, which is more widely available in chain supermarkets or Asian groceries. Feel free to make your own (see below for a quick sambal recipe) or use any of your favourite sambal variations.
Makrut Lime Leaves - (Formerly known as kaffir lime leaves). You can purchase these fresh, frozen or dried at your local Asian supermarket or online. We have a tree growing in our backyard, which also comes in handy for choo chee chicken! Substitute with a teaspoon of grated lime zest, a splash of lime juice or just leave it out.
Onion - Adds a nice sweetness and extra caramelised flavour if you char the edges. Slice them however you like - rings or half moons for texture, or finely diced for flavour.
Vegetable Oil - Such as canola oil or any of your favourite alternatives.
Peeling Eggs - Give the boiled eggs a few taps first then roll them gently over the ridges on your sink’s draining board to loosen the shell from the cooked egg. Peel them under a trickle of running water to make this easier.
Storage - Leftovers will last for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. We don’t recommend freezing.
Variations
Protein - Swap the eggs for tofu, chicken or a mix of your favourite vegetables etc. We think this would be amazing with fish cakes like Japanese chikuwa or Korean eomuk!
Eggs - Fry the eggs in a little oil by themselves before adding them to the sauce to give them a crispier edge. Deep fry for a crispier coating. You could even air fry the eggs to use less oil.
Add Coconut Milk - Add ⅓ cup of coconut milk or coconut cream to make it creamier and less spicy. If you don’t have either of these, you could add a little mayonnaise.