Telur Asin Geprek Sambel Kemangi (Smashed Salted Eggs with Lemon Basil Sambal)

Ingredients

• 2 Salted Duck Egg (cut in half)
• 4 Shallot (peeled)
• 2 Garlic (cloves)
• 19 Bird's Eye Chili (cabe rawit)
• ½ tsp Monosodium Glutamate (micin)
• ½ tsp White Sugar (gula pasir)
• 1 Lemon Basil (fresh leaves; to taste)
• 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil (piping hot)
• ¼ Lime (squeezed for juice)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the salted eggs in half and set aside.

2. 2

   In a mortar, combine the shallots, garlic, bird's eye chilies, MSG, and white sugar.

3. 3

   Grind the ingredients with a pestle until they form a coarse, textured paste (sambal).

4. 4

   Add the fresh lemon basil (kemangi) leaves to the mortar and crush them lightly to release their aroma and mix with the sambal.

5. 5

   Carefully pour the hot vegetable oil over the sambal mixture to cook the aromatics slightly.

6. 6

   Scoop the salted eggs out of their shells and add them to the mortar.

7. 7

   Gently smash (geprek) the salted eggs into the sambal until well incorporated but still retaining some chunks.

8. 8

   Add a squeeze of lime juice and give it a final mix.

9. 9

   Serve immediately with warm steamed rice.