This is the sambal traditionally served alongside Nasi Lemak, usually at breakfast; you might prefer these as a cocktail snack. For more about dried anchovies, see page 25.

　　

Ingredients

4 servings

　　Roughly 1/4 cup dried anchovies

　　1/4 cup corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil

　　1 recipe Sambal Oelek (page 590)

　　

Step 1

Soak the dried anchovies in hot water for a few minutes while you heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.

　　

Step 2

Drain the anchovies and add them to the oil. Fry them until golden brown, a minute or two, then transfer them to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add the sambal oelek to the oil and fry it, stirring, for a minute or two, until fragrant and darkened. Add the anchovies back to the pan, stir, and lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer for a minute and serve warm or at room temperature.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.