Make it Last Meal worthy!
Spicy, aromatic, umami and delicious on anything! Our family recipe is handcrafted in small batches using locally sourced quality ingredients.
Our authentic family recipe is what makes the difference!
My family’s thirty year old recipe, Ahma’s Sambal is what (in my opinion) best embodies the principle of the proverbial ‘last meal’ - decadent, comforting and nostalgic.
For as long as I’ve remembered, my mother, now a wonderful Grandma (Ahma) would make this sambal, which has taken pride of place in my family’s home kitchen ever since. As an adult, I still consider the formative food memories created around her sambal to be the penultimate decadent and nostalgic childhood experience.
Living far from home, I struggled to find a product on the shelves that held a candle to my mother’s sambal and in 2021, I decided to devote my time to sharing the joys of Ahma’s Sambal with a larger audience.
At Last Meal, we consider this recipe an homage to the legacy of my family’s matriarch and an ode to the food memories she created. It is our hope that Ahma’s Sambal will be a staple in your family’s kitchen the way it has been for mine. From my family to yours!
What is Hae Bee Hiam?
A popular condiment throughout Southeast Asia with a versatility of uses, hae bee hiam (spicy dried shrimp sambal) is most commonly handcrafted at home and tends to vary from region to region, from household to household. A staple that was once exclusive to Southeast Asian home kitchens, Ahma’s Sambal is now available to you!
All Ahma’s Sambal products are:
Our Flavour Profile
We handcraft every batch to order with the same care and consideration she does – from the freshness of the ingredients to the method. Just the way Ahma makes it!
Ahma’s Sambal is delightfully robust and provides the spicy kick and aromatic umami bomb our bodies crave. The cornerstone of our flavour profile comes from the depth in our chilli blend, the slow aromatic caramelisation of onions and garlic and the natural umami of seafood, all which are locally sourced in Melbourne, Australia. Ahma’s Sambal has a little more OOOMPH baby!
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Spicy
We use a unique blend of fresh and dried chillies, imparting a unique depth in flavour including smoky and fruity notes.
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Aromatic
We take the time to caramelise onions and garlic imparting our sambal with a distinctive natural sweetness.
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Umami
Our combination of hae bee (dried shrimp) and belachan (shrimp paste) forms the distinctive savoury flavour profile in our sambal.
Customise Ahma’s Sambal!
Ahma’s Sambal serves as the perfect base to layer with other flavours. Typical additions include kaffir lime leaves, tamarind, honey or palm sugar, candlenuts, ginger and lemongrass - add whatever you want and tailor it to your liking.
Chin Ho Chiak!
Great as a topping, mixed into sauces, in baked goods, as a dipping sauce, stir fry base or marinade.
Versatile with a variety of delicious applications, Ahma’s Sambal is perfect as a topping on eggs or pizza, as a base to any stir fry or fried rice, mixed into pasta sauces or savoury baked goods, as a condiment, dipping sauce or a marinade. Here at Last Meal, we love ours totally unadulterated – on top a bed of freshly cooked plain white rice.
