One Pot Sambal Belacan Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese

As most parts of the world enters Autumn and pumpkin-related food becomes ubiquitous, I've decided to take on one of America's favourite fall comfort food, the pumpkin mac and cheese, and give it a familiar local spin. 

One Pot Sambal Belacan Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese (serves 3-5)

  15g     Garlic, minced
  10g     Shallot, minced
  20g     Dried shrimps, soaked and coarsely diced
160g     Sambal belacan, homemade or store-bought

750g     Milk
500g     Water, more if needed
250g     Dried pasta

350g     Sweet potato puree
250g     Sharp cheddar, shredded
200g     Kangkong (water spinach), washed and trimmed
   1       Red chili, cut into rings

 3-5      Calamansi

1. In a pot or frying pan, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat and sauté the garlic, shallot, dried shrimps till fragrant. Mix in the sambal belacan and fry till mixture is slightly drier.

2. Stir in the milk, water and half of the sweet potato puree before adding the dried pasta. Cover pan to bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently for about 8-10mins, adding more water if needed.

3. When the pasta is barely al dente or just before your preferred texture, stir in the remaining sweet potato puree till mixture is homogeneous. 

4. Add in the kangkong and red chili. Cover for another 3-4mins till pasta is al dente or at your preferred texture and the kangkong has softened. 

5. Add in the sharp cheddar and stir till cheese has melted. Season accordingly with salt if needed. Serve immediately with calamansi.

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Thoughts: This is one Southeast Asia flavour-influenced, fusion American dish that works really well. Sambal belacan balanced the overall taste profile beautifully with its slight spicy kick and savoury, umami touch. To further amp up the umaminess, I've included additional dried shrimps which you can adjust depending on how "shrimpy" you like. For me, I really enjoyed biting into the little nuggets of concentrated shrimp flavour, so I will definitely double the amount next time. 

While creating the recipe, including kangkong was a no-brainer since it is a match made in heaven with sambal belacan as with the popular local dish 马来风光 (stir fry kangkong with sambal belacan). The crunchy vegetable also provides a textural contrast to the otherwise soft pasta dish.

As my tummy grows bigger each day, it is becoming increasingly challenging to remain standing for too long. Hence, I've created this dish as a "one-pot" recipe to save time and hassle. And luckily, I have access to off-the-shelves, sambal belacan paste this time. They are particularly handy during this period or for whenever I run out of homemade sambal belacan and am too lazy to make more. 😝

Sooo... If I can make this dish without breaking a sweat, so can you! Try this dish and share with us your yummy creations on facebook or tag @whattobaketoday on instagram! 

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