Thai Sauces

Thai Sauces -

The Thais enhance their meals with sauces and dips. It is typical to find an assortment of them collected on the table at one time. The flavors range from sweet and tangy to hot and spicy, from subtle to complex. Sauces allow diners to adjust the taste of a dish to their own liking. These delicious flavors are unique, yet quite simple to prepare.

Under this section you will find how to prepare some of the common Thai Sauce generally used for making Thai foods -

Thai Dipping Sauce

Thai Crystal Sauce (Nahm Jeem Gratien)

Thai Red Curry / Coconut Sauce (For Salmon)

Thai Dipping Sauce for Spring Wrap or Egg Rolls

Thai Style Peanut Dipping Sauce

Spicy Chili Sauce

Thai Red Chili Sauce - Nam Prik Dang

Satay Sauce

Sweet and Hot Garlic Sauce

Thai Crystal Sauce (Nahm Jeem Gratien)

Thai Crystal Sauce (Nahm Jeem Gratien) -

This sauce is good on congee and a variety of vegetable dishes.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup rice vinegar or 1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup minced garlic, about 15 cloves
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Combine all but the crushed red pepper flakes in a small saucepan.
Simmer about 20 minutes, until liquid reduces to a light syrup.
Stir in the red pepper flakes.
Keep refrigerated in a jar.
Shake before use.
Keeps indefinitely.

Sweet and Hot Garlic Sauce

Sweet and Hot Garlic Sauce -

I put a tablespoon of this sauce in just about everything I stir-fry. If you're not a spicy fan, you can turn down the heat by adding less of the chili sauce.

Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached cane sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (you can find this at any asian market; usually it's the korean brand with the bright green top.)

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, water, vinegar, garlic and salt.
Bring to a boil over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
Turn to medium-low and keep cooking until the sauce is a little syrupy (18-25 min).
Remove from heat and add the chili sauce--mix well; it will turn a nice amber-orange.
Let cool to room temperature, then keep refrigerate in an airtight jar for up to three weeks.
When using, heat a little bit until it thins to a slightly syrupy consistency.

Satay Sauce

Satay Sauce -

Recipes comes from Thai Cooking Class. Satay sauce is used for dipping of a variety of meats, shrimp, or anything else on skewers. Another popular satay in Thailand is toast - dipped in satay sauce, it's a favorite mid-morning snack.

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass
1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste
3 dried red chilies or 1 teaspoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 coriander root, chopped
1 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
5 ounces ground roasted peanuts or 5 ounces crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons tamarind juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a blender, combine onion, lemon grass, shrimp paste, chilies, garlic, cumin, coriander and coriander roots with enough coconut milk to moisten.
Heat oil in saucepan.
Gently stir-fry onion mixture until it turns a pale pink-brown.
Add remaining coconut milk, stirring briskly.
Reduce heat to low.
Add peanuts (or peanut butter) and still well.
Then add sugar and tamarind juice with a pinch of salt.
If the sauce is too thick add additional coconut milk; If it's too thin, simmer very gently to reduce -- coconut milk and peanuts burn very easily.

Thai Red Chili Sauce - Nam Prik Dang

Thai Red Chili Sauce - Nam Prik Dang -

A fiery table condiment for your favorite Thai and Asian recipes! :)

Ingredients:

24 Thai red chili peppers, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions:

Puree ingredients in blender or food processor.
Store in sealed container in refrigerator.
Serve as a table condiment for Thai and other Asian dishes.

Spicy Chili Sauce

Spicy Chili Sauce -

Traditional Malay Condiments that goes well with almost anything especially deep fried item

Ingredients:

400 g fresh birds eye chilies, blend
200 g shallots, blend
100 g garlic, blend
2 teaspoons dried shrimp paste, blend (fish sauce sub)
50 ml lime juice
50 g sugar
salt and pepper (to taste)
soy sauce (optional)

Directions:

Remove seed from chili to tone down the spiciness. Blend all ingredient.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Do add additional sugar and lime juice before serving if you like it less spicy.
Keep in bottle- chill if possible.

Thai Style Peanut Dipping Sauce

Thai Style Peanut Dipping Sauce -

This is a Thai style peanut sauce that is good on plain white rice, noodles and potstickers. It's also good as a dipping sauce.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons salad oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons hot chili sauce, Sriracha
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander

Directions:

Combine ingredients in bowl.
Mix well with whisk.
Serve over rice, hot or cold noodles, pot stickers or as a spring roll dipping sauce.

Thai Dipping Sauce

Thai Dipping Sauce -

This is the traditional Thai dipping sauce used for salad rolls, spring rolls and almost everything else. Keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Indonesian chili sauce (sambal oelek)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup carrot, shredded

Directions:

Combine sugar water and vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.
Reduce heat. Stir in garlic, fish sauce and chili sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat. Cool and add lime juice and shredded carrot.

Thai Red Curry / Coconut Sauce (For Salmon)

Thai Red Curry / Coconut Sauce (For Salmon) -

Just take salmon and rub with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Grill or broil and serve with this flavorful sauce.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 pinch salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
8 fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Heat sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch and the basil leaves in a small saucepan.
Taste and adjust to your preferences.
Just before salmon is done, add cornstarch to the sauce with a small amount of water to make a slurry. Stir until it is glossy and coats the back of a spoon.
Stack and roll basil leaves like a small cigar. Sliver them cross-wise into narrow ribbons and drop into the sauce.
Keep sauce warm but be careful not to simmer for a long time.
Serve sauce over the fish with Jasmine or Basmati rice.

Thai Dipping Sauce for Spring Wrap or Egg Rolls

Thai Dipping Sauce for Spring Wrap or Egg Rolls -

This is very tasty and low fat dipping sauce - use this as a dip for a variety of appetizers or as a sauce to go with stir fry.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grate
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Whisk together all the ingredients in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil, whisking all the while until it thickens.
Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.