Sambal Goreng Telur — Eggs in Chili Sambal

Ingredients

• 6 eggs, boiled 8 minutes and peeled
• 3 tbsp sambal (or: 4 red chilies + 3 shallots + 2 garlic cloves, blended)
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 lime leaf or squeeze of lime
• 4 tbsp oil
• Rice or coconut rice

Method

1. Pat the boiled eggs very dry, then shallow-fry them whole in the oil, rolling, until the outsides blister golden and crisp, 3–4 minutes — the frying gives the whites a chewy jacket that holds sauce like armor holds rain.
2. Pour off most of the oil; fry the sambal (or blended paste) 3 minutes until it darkens and the oil stains red.
3. Add the tomato, sugar, and lime leaf; cook 3 minutes into a thick, glossy relish.
4. Return the eggs and roll them through the sambal until fully dressed.
5. Serve over rice, sauce spooned generously. In Indonesia this turns up at breakfast, in lunch boxes, and at feasts — an egg dish with range.