# The best Indonesian sambals

The range of sambals from across the archipelago according to Kompas, Dapur Umami, Traveloka and AyoMakan: sambal terasi always comes first.

- 4 votes · 20 items
- Sep 14, 2025 · Dian Siregar
- https://even.best/en/l/902/the-best-indonesian-sambals

## Top 15

1. **Sambal terasi** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Chilli, shallot and toasted shrimp paste, ground by hand: Java's most popular sambal.
2. **Sambal ijo** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Padang green chilli sambal, served with nasi Padang.
3. **Sambal tempoyak** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Fermented durian sambal from Sumatra.
4. **Anchovy chili sauce** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Sambal with fried anchovies, perfect for uduk rice.
5. **Sambal matah** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Bali's raw sambal with shallots, lemongrass and coconut oil.
6. **Sambal dabu-dabu** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Fresh Manado sambal of bird's-eye chilli, tomato and shallot.
7. **Sambal bajak** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Cooked sambal with shrimp paste, galangal and palm sugar.
8. **Sambal andaliman** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Batak sambal with numbing andaliman pepper.
9. **Sambal roa** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Smoked roa fish sambal from Manado.
10. **Sambal bawang** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Bird's-eye chilli and fried garlic, the partner of ayam geprek.
11. **Sambal mangga** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Sambal with tart young mango slices.
12. **Sambal tumpang** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Overripe tempeh sambal from Kediri and Solo.
13. **Sambal colo-colo** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Maluku soy-based sambal for grilled fish.
14. **Sambal lado mudo** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Coarse Minang green chilli sambal.
15. **Sambal pecel** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Spicy peanut sauce for Madiun pecel.
16. **Sambal embe** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Balinese fried shallot sambal.
17. **Combrang chili sauce** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Sambal with fragrant kecombrang flowers, typical of Sundanese and Sumatran.
18. **Cibiuk chili sauce** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Typical Garut chili sauce with green chilies, green tomatoes and basil.
19. **Rica-rica chili sauce** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Manadonese spicy chili sauce with ginger and lime leaves.
20. **Tomato sauce** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — A simple chili and tomato sauce, most common at home.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.