Emporium Blog

Sambal Belacan is an immensely popular condiment in Malaysia. It is spicy and is often used in many types of dishes. Some people just cannot do without it at meal time. My neighbour one floor down is one of them. So much so that I can hear them making sambal or rather banging the floor every morning without fail. Sometimes I wonder whether they eat the thing for breakfast.

In the preparation, chili is pounded with belacan in a stone mortar or “batu lesung” (picture). The pounding can last from ten minutes to as long as half an hour. It is believed the longer the ingredient is pounded, the tastier it will be, much to my disgust.

Imagine waking up at 7.30am every morning to the noise like someone is pounding the floor. The duration of the pounding can sometimes last more than half an hour.

I got so frustrated and angry one day that I shouted at my neighbour from the balcony.

Me: Hoi! Bisinglah! Hari-hari makan sambal tak muak ke? (Hoy! It’s noisy! Don’t you get tired of eating sambal everyday?)
Neighbour: Buat sambal mestilah bising! (Of course it’s noisy making sambal!)
Me: Pakai blenderlah! (Use the blender!)
Neighbour: Pakai blender tak sedap! (It will not be tasty if use blender)

I gave up. The pounding still goes on at 7.30am sharp. At least now it is less often.