Hae bee hiam is a popular and versatile condiment in Southeast Asia made with dried shrimp cooked with an aromatic, umami, and spicy concoction of sambal.
What is hae bee hiam ?
Hae bee means dried shrimp and hiam means spicy. In Indonesia, we call this sambal hebi. Dried shrimp has a very intense aroma and taste. It is widely used in Asian cooking to impart that umami flavor. The soaked dried shrimp is pounded until fine and then stir fry with sambal mixture until the mixture is dried.
How to make hae bee hiam from scratch
1. Soak the dried shrimp in warm water for about 15 minutes. In a separate bowl, soak the dried chili in warm water until soft and then remove. You can use a mortar and pestle to pound the dried shrimp into fine pieces or use a food processor to do so (which I did)
2. Snap the dried chili in half to open and discard the seeds
3. Soak the seeded dried chili in warm water until soft and then drain off the water
4. Put the shallots, garlic, dried chili, belacan, and water in a blender and blend until smooth. I didn’t use as much chili so it won’t be too spicy for my kids
5. Preheat a wok or a large skillet. Add cooking oil and then saute the chili mixture and lemongrass stalk for about 5 minutes until fragrant
6. Keep the heat on medium and keep stirring. Add the dried shrimp, sugar, and salt to taste and keep stirring
7. The mixture is heavy and wet at first, but keep sauteing until it gets really dry and lighter. Have a taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Remove from the heat and let it cools down completely before storing
How to store hae bee hiam
1. Let hae bee hiam cools down completely
2. Transfer to a jar with an air-tight lid. Keep it in the fridge for up to a month
3. If you make in a big batch, I recommend portion it out and then freeze them. They freeze well. Simply thaw in the fridge before using. They can be kept frozen for up to 3 months
How to use hae bee hiam
1. As a topping
Hae bee hiam is one of my very favorite condiments. I can eat it with plain rice, rice porridge. I even sprinkle it on my oatmeal in the morning (I love savory oatmeal)
2. As an ingredient in baking
Some used it in cookies and cakes recipe to make the savory-sweet type baked goods
3. As an ingredient in cooking
Hae bee hiam can be used in cooking such as to make this pulut panggang, tossed it with pasta/noodles, stir fry vegetables, fried rice. Really, the sky is the limit
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How To Make Hae Bee Hiam (Spicy Dried Shrimp Sambal/Sambal Hebi)
Ingredients
- 150 gr dried shrimps
- 50 gr dried chilies
- 50 g shallots peeled
- 35 gr garlic peeled
- 30 gr shrimp paste
- 100 ml water
- 4 tbsp oil
- 1 stalk lemongrass bruise with heavy object
- Salt to taste
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Soak the dried shrimp in warm water for about 15 minutes. In a separate bowl, soak the dried chili in warm water until soft and then remove. You can use a mortar and pestle to pound the dried shrimp into fine pieces or use a food processor to do so (which I did)
- Snap the dried chili in half to open and discard the seeds. Soak the dried chili in warm water until soft and then drain off the water
- Put the shallots, garlic, dried chili, belacan, and water in a blender and blend until smooth
- Preheat a wok or a large skillet. Add cooking oil and then saute the chili mixture and lemongrass stalk for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Keep the heat on medium and keep stirring. Add the dried shrimp, sugar, and salt to taste and keep stirring
- The mixture is wet and clumpy at first, but keep sauteing until it gets really dry and lighter. Have a taste and adjust seasoning as needed
- Remove from the heat and let it cools down completely before storing
