Spice Up Your Pasta Game With This Quick and Easy, Fusion Dish: Creamy Sambal Pasta.

If you love the flavours of sambal, but find it too spicy, then I highly recommend you try this Creamy Sambal Pasta recipe! Not only do you get the full flavours of the sambal, but the heat is tempered down so you can actually enjoy the dish.

This dish was a bit of an accidental creation. I had sambal and an opened carton of heavy cream to use up and a hope and wish that this would turn out edible… spoiler: I love this dish so much that this has gone into my noodle staple signatures which includes my Mee Goreng and Fried Vermicelli. This recipe marries the rich creaminess of pasta with the vibrant and spicy flavours of sambal, creating an effortless dish that will please any lover of spice!

Why you will LOVE this Creamy Sambal Pasta?

QUICK & EASY: Thanks to the use of ready-made sambal, this comes together so quick and easily!

Spicy Food Lovers: For those who enjoy spicy cuisine but perhaps can’t take on too much of the heat, this is a great option for you! The cream tempers the spiciness, so you can enjoy the flavours without as much as the burn. It will still be a little spicy though. Each bite is a harmonious balance of creamy, savoury, and spicy flavors, creating a thrilling dining experience.

Comforting and Satisfying: Talk about a kind of dish that provides a warm embrace and leaves you wanting more! Creamy pasta dishes are just comforting in nature. The combination of creamy pasta and bold sambal flavours offers a little more oomph to the meal.

Key Ingredients to make Creamy Sambal Pasta

This recipe is so painfully minimal and easy! To create the Creamy Sambal Pasta, you will need just a handful of essential ingredients:

Pasta: Choose your favourite type, such as linguine, fettuccine, or penne. You can also use other noodle of choice.
Sambal Sauce: The star ingredient that brings the heat and flavour. You can pick up any of your favourite ready-made sambals from the supermarket, but of course, you KNOW I have lots of amazing easy recipes here. This is my go-to all-rounder sambal, but this goes well with the umami-bomb Sambal Belacan as well. As with anything store-bought, you might need to adjust the salt and sugar levels accordingly.
Cream: To achieve the creamy consistency, opt for heavy cream. Coconut cream works as well!

How to Make Creamy Sambal Pasta?

Step 1: Cook the Pasta

Begin by cooking the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving a small amount of the cooking water to adjust the sauce consistency later if needed.

Step 2: Prepare the Sauce

In a separate pan, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and saute till fragrant. If using proteins, add at this stage and stir fry to cook. I’m using sliced chicken breast here, but shrimps would make great proteins for this too. No meat? No problem! I actually really like this without any proteins!

Add the desired amount of sambal sauce, adjusting the quantity according to your spice tolerance. Add a splash of water to create more of a sauce. Sauté the sambal sauce with the pan contents for a few minutes to release its flavours.

Step 3: Add Cream

Reduce the heat to low and slowly pour in the cream, stirring continuously to combine it with the sambal sauce and proteins. Allow the cream to come to a boil.

Step 4: Toss in the Pasta

Once the sauce starts to bubble, add the cooked pasta to the sauce along with some parmesan. Toss everything together until the pasta is well-coated. If the sauce appears too thick, add a small amount of the reserved pasta cooking water to achieve the desired consistency.

I like adding some parmesan here, but it’s optional.

Once combined, add chopped cilantro and stir through. Turn off the heat.

Step 5: Serve and Enjoy

Transfer the Creamy Sambal Pasta to serving plates or bowls. Garnish with more cilantro and serve it hot! and savour the tantalizing combination of creamy pasta and spicy sambal.

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