Vietnamese Hot Sauce
Ingredients
Makes about 350 ml (12 fl oz/1 ½ cups).
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 small red or green chillies, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh root ginger
1 tablespoon chilli sauce
2 sticks lemon grass, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice with pulp
4-6 tablespoons chicken stock or water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 tablespoon cornflour
Details
Serves: 4
Method
Using a pestle and mortar, pound the garlic, chillies, ginger, chilli sauce and lemon grass to a paste. Heat oil in a medium saucepan and gently stir-fry the paste with soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and stock or water, then bring to the boil.
Blend in chopped coriander. Mix cornflour with 2 tablespoons water and stir the paste into the sauce to thicken it. Remove from heat and serve.
Note:- This highly spiced sauce goes well with all sorts of meat or fish dishes – it can form the base for curry sauce, or it can be served as a dip.