About this component
The clear, glossy sweet-and-tangy dip that arrives beside grilled chicken, fish cakes and spring rolls across Thailand. Balanced rather than merely sweet, it is a study in the Thai instinct for tuning sugar, sour and heat against one another.
Component facts
- Yield
- About 1 cup (240 ml)
- Prep
- 10 minutes plus cooling
- Heat
- Mild
Development draft. This is an untested development recipe from the cookbook project. It has not been kitchen-tested, and the quantities and timings are the author’s working draft rather than a verified result.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) white or rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
- 2 tsp (10 g) salt, or to taste
- 3–5 fresh red chiles, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Method
- Combine sugar, vinegar, water and salt in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Simmer 5–8 minutes until slightly syrupy and lightly thickened.
- Stir in the chiles and garlic; simmer 1 minute more.
- Cool completely — the sauce thickens further as it cools.
Notes from the book
- Balancing
- Adjust vinegar for sour and sugar for balance; the finish should be bright and clean, not cloying.
- Substitutions
- Cane vinegar or cider vinegar for rice vinegar; adjust chile count for heat.
- Storage and food safety
- Refrigerate in a clean jar up to 3–4 weeks. Use clean utensils. Discard if cloudy or off-smelling.
Pairs with in this book
Fried spring rolls & fritters generally.
The Complete Edition
Nam Jim Gai (Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce) sits in the foundations
The book carries this component alongside the other twenty-three, the twenty-seven pantry studies, and the Thailand chapter it belongs to.
In review with Amazon KDP
Both editions have been submitted to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and are currently in review. Submitted prices are $9.99 for the kindle edition and $49.99 for the paperback. Neither is on sale yet, and prices are as submitted rather than final.