• Shrimps (bubuk)
• Salt
• Tupik or small sago
First, you need shrimps (bubuk). The quantity depends on how much you want to make. For better taste, choose fresh and smaller shrimps.
Before starting the main process, prepare two other main ingredients — salt and tupik or small sago. Also wash the shrimps clean.
Then, mix all the three items but in the correct quantity because the right amount of salt will make the belacan last longer and most importantly, it will not produce bad smell.
The next step is to keep the mixture in a container or bucket (depending on the quantity) for a certain period (one night), wrapping it with a special transparent plastic wrapper.
After that, take it out and dry it under the sun — which is more traditional. And no matter how long it takes, it must be totally desiccated.
It is your choice then to use the traditional method or modern technique — lesung or machine.
