Vegan Sambal Hae Bee

🌶️ Vegan Sambal Hae Bee 🥣 Ingredients Dried Shiitake Mushrooms 50g Dried Seaweed 5g Dried Chilies 80g Fresh Red Chilies 100g Bird's Eye Chilies 20g Lemongrass 2 stalks Galangal 20g Ginger 15g Vegan Belacan 15g Tamarind Paste 15g Coconut Sugar 35g Salt 5g Cooking Oil 150ml 👩🍳 Steps 1️⃣ Soak dried shiitake mushrooms until soft, squeeze out excess water, and chop finely or pulse in a food processor. Avoid turning it into a paste; retaining some texture will make it closer to the original 'hae bee' (dried shrimp) texture. 2️⃣ Soak dried chilies until soft, drain, and blend with fresh red chilies, bird's eye chilies, lemongrass, galangal, and ginger to form a fine chili paste. 3️⃣ Heat cooking oil in a pot over medium-low heat. Stir-fry the chili paste for about 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the moisture reduces, the color deepens, and oil starts to separate. 4️⃣ Add the vegan belacan and continue to stir-fry over low heat for about 2–3 minutes until the aroma is fully released. 5️⃣ Add the chopped shiitake mushrooms and stir-fry over low heat for about 10 minutes, slowly drying out the moisture from the mushrooms. It should start to become crumbly. 6️⃣ Add the cut dried seaweed, tamarind paste, coconut sugar, and salt. Stir well to combine. Be careful not to add too much seaweed, as its flavor might overpower the chili aroma. 7️⃣ Continue to stir-fry over low heat for about 10–15 minutes until the chili paste reaches a dry, fragrant, and crumbly consistency, and the oil re-separates. Then, turn off the heat.