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.
Available from Amazon
- Kindle edition — $9.99 (Kindle Store price) — available now
- Paperback — $49.99 (print list price) — available now