Everyday Thai Cooking. Katie Chin
is a collection of some basic sauces and condiments that can be used to enhance flavors while cooking or as a condiment such as Roasted Red Chili Paste (page 23) or popular dipping sauces like Sweet Thai Chili Sauce (page 24) and Hoisin Peanut Sauce (page 25). I’ve also included basic recipes which are the backbone of popular Thai recipes like Basic Curry Sauce (page 26) or Basic Chicken Stock (page 26). The variety of sauces and dips in Thai cuisine is far and wide so this is by no means a comprehensive collection. I believe what I offer here will give you the flexibility to “add little bit here” and “a little bit there” to satisfy your budding Thai palate as well as letting you improvise with the recipes in this book.
Ginger Lime Dipping Sauce
This refreshing dip is a fantastic accompaniment to the Chiang Mai Chicken in Lettuce Cups (page 34). It’s the perfect balance of sweet, sour, and hot flavors. If you like a lot of heat, then skip the deseeding but watch your tongue!
MAKES 1 CUP (250 ML)
PREPARATION TIME: 5 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 10 MINUTES
½ cup (125 ml) water
½ cup (100 g) sugar
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
2 teaspoons fish sauce (nam pla)
1 fresh hot red or green pepper, preferably Thai, deseeded and finely sliced
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cool slightly. Mix ¼ cup (65 ml) of the syrup with the ginger, lime juice, vinegar, fish sauce, and chili in a small bowl. Transfer to a small serving bowl. Discard the remaining syrup.
COOK’S NOTE: If you can’t find Thai chilies, I recommend using jalapeño or Serrano chilies.
Roasted Red Chili Paste (Nam Prik Pao)
Roasted Red Chili Paste, or Nam Prik Pao adds an amazing ”je ne sais quoi” to stir-fry dishes, soups and anything that can use an added rich and complex kick in the pants. Once I started experimenting with this jam-like sauce, I couldn’t seem to get enough of it and love having it on hand. It’s my secret weapon for creating mouth-watering Thai dishes and will soon be yours too. Increase the amount of ground red pepper (cayenne) if you want extra heat. Fermented shrimp paste and tamarind concentrate can be found at most Asian markets.
MAKES 1 SMALL JAR
PREPARATION TIME: 5 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 15 MINUTES
4 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil, divided
6 garlic cloves, minced
6 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
4 teaspoons fermented shrimp paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
3 tablespoons palm or brown sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
1 tablespoon water
1 Heat the oil in a wok or skillet at medium high heat. Add the garlic and shallots and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer garlic and shallots to a small bowl with a slotted spoon. Set aside. Leave the remaining oil in the pan.
2 Combine the ground red pepper, shrimp paste, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, tamarind concentrate, water, reserved garlic, and shallots in a small food processor. Pulse until a thick paste forms.
3 Return the paste to the wok or skillet and stir it into the oil over low heat. Simmer gently and continue stirring until the mixture is a smooth, oily, and shimmering paste.
How to Make Roasted Red Chili Paste
1 Measure the sauce ingredients and place into individual bowls.
2 Heat the oil in a wok or skillet and add garlic and shallots.
3 Stir-fry the shallots and garlic until fragrant. Remove with a slotted spoon.
4 Combine the remaining sauce ingredients and reserved shallots and garlic in a small food processor.
5 Pulse in food processor until a thick paste forms.
Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
Oh, Sweet Thai Chili Sauce, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. This versatile sauce is so easy to make yet adds so much tangy sweet flavor to everything it touches. Although it’s perfectly okay to use the store-bought stuff, I try to make it from scratch because it’s really so easy to make. Once you have it on hand you’ll realize all the great uses for it, from drizzling on crab cakes to sweetening up a spicy stir-fry. The crushed red pepper also give it a gorgeous hue and is so pretty when wrapped up in a sterilized jar (hey, what an original hostess gift).
MAKES ¾ CUP (180 ML)
PREPARATION TIME: 5 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 15 MINUTES
½ cup (125 ml) rice vinegar or white vinegar
4 tablespoons water
¹⁄³ cup (67 g) sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
Bring vinegar, water, sugar, garlic, crushed red pepper, and salt to a boil. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add all-purpose cornstarch mixture. Stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
COOK’S NOTE: Store the Sweet Thai Chili Sauce in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to several months.
Spicy Peanut Sauce
Satay is all about the sauce and this sauce is boss. I like to make homemade peanut butter when I have the time by simply blending roasted peanuts with a bit of honey and some peanut oil in the food processor, but store-bought peanut butter is completely fine. This is the perfect marriage of creamy nutty flavor with smooth coconut milk and just enough heat from the crushed red pepper. Great for any satay, especially for the Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce (page 31), but also a yummy sauce for noodles or drizzled in a Thai wrap sandwich.
MAKES ½ CUP
PREPARATION TIME: 5 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 8 MINUTES
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
4 tablespoons coconut milk
1 teaspoon thick red curry paste
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce