The fact that Indonesia has a lot of local delicacies is not a secret. More than 3000 culinary diversities in Indonesia, ranging from the main dish to condiments.
One of the staple condiments in Indonesia’s culinary map is sambal. There are more than 300 sambals, and it’s almost impossible to talk about Indonesia’s palate without mentioning one.
Sambal colo-colo is the signature sambal commonly found in East Indonesia. Not only does it taste good, but it also represents the simplicity and the act of unity in diversity throughout the archipelago, especially for West Papuan.
Short History of Sambal
People have enjoyed sambal for a long time. Initially, Indonesian used ginger to get the spicy flavour onto food. However, they started using chilli after the Spanish nation brought chillies to Indonesia for economic trade in 15-16 AD.
Sambal is used as a companion to almost every dish. Usually, the main ingredients of sambal are chillies, garlic or shallot, and salt.
However, the main ingredients of sambal could be different in every region. For example, there is sambal tempoyak from South Sumatra, with fermented durian as the main ingredient.
Unity in Diversity in a Plate of Sambal Colo-colo
There are various stories regarding the originality of sambal colo-colo. It is said that the condiment originated from Ambon or Maluku. There are also stories about how sambal colo-colo originated from Papua.
Despite all the buzz about the originality of sambal colo-colo, you can find it in a
The ingredients of sambal colo-colo are straightforward, and you can easily find them in the local market. For a portion of sambal colo-colo, you only need some bird’s eye chillies, green tomato, shallots and lime.
Unlike most other sambals, you don’t need to ground the ingredients with a stone mortar. Instead, you can use small chunks of all ingredients and enjoy it as is. That method makes the sambal taste even spicier than any other sambal.
However, if you seek the recipe of sambal colo-colo on the internet, you will find most of them using sweet soy sauce. It is said that Java influenced the utilisation of sweet soy sauce since people in West Papua rarely use them.
You can also get creative and add many ingredients to the sambal. To enhance the aroma, you can use lemon basil and margarine. West Papuan natives usually add celery, walnut chunks, raw candlenut, and rarobang, a light residue of cold-pressed coconut oil.
How to Make Sambal Colo-colo
Want to make your sambal colo-colo? Here’s a guide for you:
- Prepare all the ingredients and wash them in boiled water.
- Cut the ingredients into small pieces, put them in the bowl.
- Give spices such as salt, sugar or powdered stock. Add some hot water to dissolve.
- Squeeze some lime.
- Add some sweet soy sauce or rarobang if you like. You can also add lemon basil, celery, and any other condiments you would like in your sambal.
- Enjoy it with Papuan dishes.
Closing
They said, “good food brings people together”, and that’s what happens in a plate of sambal colo-colo. You can tell the originality of sambal colo-colo is blurry, but it doesn’t hinder people throughout the archipelago to enjoy it with their favourite dishes.
You can also say there is no fixed recipe for sambal colo-colo, and you can utilise everything you have in your kitchen. The diversity of the food represents the diversity of the nation.
Moreover, the proverb says, “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika”, meaning “It is different, yet it is one”. West Papuan’s culture enriches the diversity that is Indonesia.
