Mi Corazon Recipe: let's highlight sambal oelek!

In honor of our new product, Mi Corazon sambal oelek, launched on March 1st, we would like to introduce you to this wonderful product from South Asia.

Why make a sambal oelek?

At Mi Corazon, we have always been interested in fusion, Latin-Asian cuisine! One of our first hot sauces created, La Catrina, is very similar to a Thai sweet chili hot sauce!

The idea of creating sambal oelek goes back about a year, when we were testing for our Korean BBQ sauce, Rocketman sauce. It was really the spiciness of ginger that inspired us... how could we integrate this ginger, this distinctive taste, into a new Mi Corazon product?

By blending ginger with lemongrass, we managed to bring out the best of both ingredients in a unique product, both spicy and sweet. Mi Corazon sambal oelek is a Quebec alternative to this Asian condiment, made from local chili peppers! It's much more than a hot sauce; it's a versatile ingredient that can be used to spice up any recipe.

The History of Sambal Oelek

Sambal oelek is a product commonly used in Thai, Malaysian, and Sri Lankan cuisine. However, sambal oelek primarily originates from Indonesia. The word "sambal" is an Indonesian word referring to the chili paste used to create the sauce, and "oelek" refers to the mortar and pestle traditionally used to create the product.

Traditionally, sambal oelek is made from ground and crushed hot peppers, with the addition of garlic, vinegar, salt, onions, and various spices. In the Mi Corazon version, ginger and lemongrass are added to give the product an herbaceous touch.

Mi Corazon Recipe: Roasted Delicata Squash with Sambal Oelek

• 1 medium delicata squash
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) Mi Corazon sambal oelek
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup
• 1 tsp (5 ml) Mi Corazon maple and chipotle hot sauce
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 200 ℃ (400 ℉) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper;
2. Cut off the ends of the squash, cut it in half, and deseed it;
3. Cut the squash halves into ½ inch (1.25 cm) slices;
4. Place the squash slices on the parchment-lined baking sheet;
5. In a bowl, mix the oil, sambal oelek, maple syrup, and maple and chipotle hot sauce, then season to taste;
6. Brush both sides of the squash slices with the sambal oelek mixture;
7. Bake the squash slices in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender and caramelized, flipping them after 15 minutes;
8. Drizzle with a dash of olive oil before serving.