What is Chili Paste? Types & How to Use Them

Updated 2 November 2026 · OmniCart Malaysia

“Chili paste” covers a lot of jars — from a plain chilli base to a deep spice blend. Here is what it actually means, the common types you will meet, and how to cook with them.

What is chili paste?

Chili paste is simply chillies ground into a thick paste, often with other ingredients. The word covers a wide range: some are a plain chilli base, others are rich blends built for a specific dish. Unlike chilli oil (which is mostly oil), a paste is thick and concentrated.

Chili paste vs chilli oil vs sambal

Chili paste: thick, concentrated chilli (and sometimes spices); usually an ingredient you cook with.
Chilli oil: fragrant, spicy oil you drizzle on finished food.
Sambal: a cooked, savoury chilli relish, often ready to eat.

More on the oils in chilli oil vs chilli crisp vs sambal.

Common types you will meet

Sambal oelek — a plain ground-chilli base (see sambal oelek vs sambal).
Spice pastes (rempah) — chilli blended with galangal, lemongrass, shallots and more, for curries and rendang.
Gochujang, doubanjiang, harissa — regional chilli pastes from Korea, China and North Africa.

How to use a chili or spice paste

Most are meant to be cooked. The golden step is to fry the paste in a little oil first until fragrant — this “wakes up” the chilli and spices before you add meat, coconut milk or stock. Start with a small amount; you can always add more heat.

Malaysian spice pastes: the easy shortcut

A ready spice paste turns a long recipe into a short one. Kak Zaidah Pes Rendang Padang, for example, is a complete rendang paste — fry it, add chicken (rendang ayam) or beef (rendang daging) and coconut milk, and simmer. Full method in how to cook rendang the easy way.

Ready options to try

Want ready-to-eat heat instead of a cook-with paste? A crunchy garlic chilli oil or a jar of Sambal Nyet Berapi both deliver instant flavour with no cooking.