Dabu-dabu

Dabu-Dabu (North Sulawesi Fresh Chili Relish)

A bright, fiery condiment from Manado in North Sulawesi, dabu-dabu is built on raw tomatoes, peppers and shallots tossed with calamansi or lime juice. It is served alongside grilled fish, seafood, sate and ayam woku to cut richness and add sharp heat.

Prep

15 min

Total

15 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (7 oz) firm ripe tomatoes, Manado uses red tomatoes; slightly under-ripe is best so they do not turn mushy
• •60 g (2 oz (about 5 medium)) red shallots, or small Thai shallots, peeled
• •2 whole cabe rawit (bird's eye chilies), red and/or green; adjust to taste for heat
• •1 whole long green chili (cabe panjang hijau), sliced into thin rings, or substitute with a mild Anaheim
• •1 whole small green or red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced thin
• •3 whole limau kuit (jeruk limau) or calamansi, substitute: 2 key limes or 1 small regular lime; calamansi flavor is closer to authentic
• •1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• •1 tsp white sugar, or palm sugar for a rounder flavor
• •1 tbsp warm water, optional, to dissolve sugar and salt

Steps

1. 1 Wash all produce. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes for 30 seconds, drain and refresh under cold water, then peel and cut into 1 cm (½ in) dice, discarding the core and excess juice.
2. 2 Peel the shallots and slice paper-thin. Trim the chilies and slice both the cabe rawit and the long green chili into thin rings; remove seeds if you want less heat. Cut the bell pepper into thin strips, then crosswise into small pieces.
3. 3 In a small bowl combine the salt, sugar and 1 tbsp warm water and stir until dissolved. Squeeze in the citrus juice.
4. 4 Place the diced tomato, shallots and all the chilies and bell pepper in a non-reactive bowl. Pour the citrus dressing over the top.
5. 5 Toss gently with a spoon, taste, and adjust with more salt, sugar or lime until the balance is sharply sour with a clean sweet-salty finish and noticeable heat.
6. 6 Cover and let the relish rest for 10 minutes so the flavors mingle and the tomatoes release a little juice.
7. 7 Serve at room temperature on the same day it is made, spooned over grilled fish, prawns, ayam woku or any simply grilled protein. It does not keep well past a few hours as the tomatoes soften and the dressing loses its snap.