Balado Teri: Indonesian Crispy Anchovies and Peanuts in Chillies
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Crunchy, spicy, and seriously moreish — Balado Teri is an Indonesian favorite made from crispy anchovies and peanuts cooked in a rich chili sauce. It works as a side dish with rice, or just as a snack you can’t stop reaching for.
What Is Balado Teri?
Balado Teri is dried anchovies deep-fried and mixed with fried peanuts and chilies. The chilies themselves are made with fresh chilies, onion, and garlic, cooked in oil.
This dish is quite popular in Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. And it is a side dish people traditionally enjoy with plain hot rice.
I grew up having lots of Balado Teri, as my mom used to make it every so often.
Interestingly, I remember when I was a kid, this dish was not really favored by the rich. But the irony was that I noticed it had become one of the delicacies served as a complement to your drinks at fancy restaurants and five-star hotels.
So what’s changed?
I suppose as people learn more about things, their thinking changes, too.
Therefore, more people can appreciate things they once disliked or did not favor. And Balado Teri is one example.
We also know that little fish called anchovies benefit our health.
Now, back to our Balado Teri.
The secret to making the delicious anchovies crispy lies in how we fry the chili paste and when to mix them in.
Why You’ll Love Balado Teri
- 🥜 Two textures in one — crispy anchovies and crunchy peanuts together are an unbeatable combo.
- 🌶️ Bold, spicy flavor — the chili sauce coats every piece with a deep, savory heat.
- 🍚 Perfect with rice — just a spoonful transforms a plain bowl of rice into a proper meal.
- 🫙 Snackable straight from the jar — it’s that good on its own, no rice needed.
- 💰 Affordable ingredients — dried anchovies and peanuts are cheap and easy to find.
- ⏱️ Stays fresh for days — make a big batch and keep it in a jar all week.
- 🧄 Deep, complex flavor — garlic, shallots, and chili build a sauce that tastes like it took all day.
- 🇮🇩 A true Indonesian staple — you’ll find this on almost every Indonesian family table.
The Key Ingredients
- Dried anchovies: You can get them at Asian shops in Chinatown. That’s probably a faster and cheaper way. But if it’s difficult for you, you can order online at Amazon. They have a few sellers, giving you options. My favorite is the headless anchovies because they save me time on cleaning and cutting the heads.
- Peanuts: Traditionally, Indonesians would fry the raw peanuts themselves. It’s a pretty easy thing to do. If you decide to do it, make sure you keep stirring the peanuts in the oil. So that all the nuts cook evenly. I now prefer to use ready-roasted peanuts from the shop as I find it more practical.
- Chilies: What you want are big red chilies. If you love chili heat, you may want to mix them with red bird’s-eye chilies. Similarly, if you are not used to chili heat, you may want to deseed the big red chilies.
- Onion: Preferably, you use Bawang Merah/ red shallots. Because they don’t have much liquid, your cooking process will be quicker. However, you can always use a brown/ yellow onion or even a red onion. You can still make tasty Teri Balado, but it will take longer for you to fry the paste.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic, please. You can opt for whole frozen garlic. But don’t use ready-paste garlic or garlic powder.
- Sugar and salt: A little sugar in your savory dishes will help enhance the flavor. As for salt, it’s pretty much self-explanatory. It is a must.
How to Make Crispy Anchovies and Peanuts in Chilies
Firstly, you prepare the anchovies by washing and rinsing those dried little fish. Then deep-fry them until cooked and light golden brown.
Secondly, you make the chili paste by pounding the chilies, onion, and garlic. You can use a pestle and mortar or a food processor/ blender to speed up the process.
Then you fry the paste in enough oil until all the liquid released by the chili paste has evaporated. You will get a dry-ish spice with oil separated from the edges.
Thirdly, add the fried anchovies and roasted peanuts to the cooked spice. Give it a good stir until all anchovies and peanuts are covered with the spice mixture. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes before you enjoy your Balado Teri.
More Ideas for Indonesian Food Recipes
Before you go, check out other Indonesian food recipes that may interest you.
Thank you for checking this Balado Teri recipe. When you try it, don’t forget to share what you think.
And please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest to sneak a peek at what’s cooking in my kitchen.
Thank you and all the best.
Balado Teri
Equipment
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 3.5 ounces dried anchovies.
- 2 ounces roasted salted peanuts see the note.
- 3 ounces red chillies see the note.
- 1 medium onion.
- 3 garlic cloves.
- ½ teaspoon salt see the note.
- 1 ½ teaspoon sugar.
- Oil for frying.
Instructions
- Clean, wash and rinse the anchovies.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan/ a wok and deep-fry the anchovies until they are cooked and crispy. Set aside.
- Using a food processor/ blender or a pestle and mortar, pound the chillies, onion, and garlic into a paste.
- Then heat up ⅓ cup of oil in a frying pan/ a wok and fry the chilli paste. Cook it until all the liquid evaporates, and you have a nice greasy chilli paste with oil separated on the side. You can use the used oil from frying the anchovies or use a new oil.
- When the chili mixture is thick and oily, you can put the fried anchovies and the peanuts in. Stir well until everything is coated with chilli paste. Do so for about 2-3 minutes at moderately high heat. Your Balado Teri is now ready.
Notes
- Traditionally, the Indonesians would use raw peanuts and fry themselves. You can do that too. But I find using ready-roasted salted peanuts saves a lot of time, and the result is equally good.
- Use the big red chilies, and you can deseed the chilies if you don’t want to reduce the heat. Or leave the seeds if you want them spicy. You can also mix the big red chilies with red bird’s eye chilies if you prefer your Balado to be hotter.
- Every brand of anchovies offers different levels of saltiness. Therefore, it’s worth it for you to try the fried anchovies before you make the chili sauce, so you will know how salty they are. Then you know how much you need to put salt in it.
Nutrition
Devy founded So Yummy Recipes and Drizzling Flavor to share her love of food after exploring various cultures and cuisines for more than two decades. Her mission is to help others easily recreate traditional and non-traditional food with readily available ingredients. Her works have been featured in Reader’s Digest, Al Jazeera, MSN, Yahoo, Bon Appétit, and more.
