The best Indonesian sambals
The top 3 according to 4 votes from people: Sambal terasi · Sambal ijo · Sambal tempoyak. (Updated Jun 25, 2026.)
The range of sambals from across the archipelago according to Kompas, Dapur Umami, Traveloka and AyoMakan: sambal terasi always comes first.
Automatically translated (original in Bahasa Indonesia). See the original
Top 15
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1
Sambal terasi
Chilli, shallot and toasted shrimp paste, ground by hand: Java's most popular sambal.
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2
Sambal ijo
Padang green chilli sambal, served with nasi Padang.
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3
Sambal tempoyak
Fermented durian sambal from Sumatra.
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4
Anchovy chili sauce
Sambal with fried anchovies, perfect for uduk rice.
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5
Sambal matah
Bali's raw sambal with shallots, lemongrass and coconut oil.
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6
Sambal dabu-dabu
Fresh Manado sambal of bird's-eye chilli, tomato and shallot.
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7
Sambal bajak
Cooked sambal with shrimp paste, galangal and palm sugar.
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8
Sambal andaliman
Batak sambal with numbing andaliman pepper.
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9
Sambal roa
Smoked roa fish sambal from Manado.
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10
Sambal bawang
Bird's-eye chilli and fried garlic, the partner of ayam geprek.
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11
Sambal mangga
Sambal with tart young mango slices.
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12
Sambal tumpang
Overripe tempeh sambal from Kediri and Solo.
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13
Sambal colo-colo
Maluku soy-based sambal for grilled fish.
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14
Sambal lado mudo
Coarse Minang green chilli sambal.
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15
Sambal pecel
Spicy peanut sauce for Madiun pecel.
Candidates
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16
Sambal embe
Balinese fried shallot sambal.
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17
Combrang chili sauce
Sambal with fragrant kecombrang flowers, typical of Sundanese and Sumatran.
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18
Cibiuk chili sauce
Typical Garut chili sauce with green chilies, green tomatoes and basil.
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19
Rica-rica chili sauce
Manadonese spicy chili sauce with ginger and lime leaves.
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20
Tomato sauce
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.
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Comments (9)
Sambal dabu-dabu Manado juara!
Sambal terasi nomor satu, wajib ada di setiap rumah.
Kurang sambal kecombrang dan sambal cibiuk!
Sambal tempoyak dari durian, aneh tapi enak.
Sambal ijo Padang paling mantap.
Sambal roa enak banget buat nasi panas.
Sambal andaliman Batak rasanya unik, bikin mati rasa di lidah 😂
Indonesia punya ratusan sambal, susah pilih 10.
Sambal matah Bali segar banget, cocok sama ikan bakar.