Thai sweet chili and garlic sauce - seeking recipe of deliciousness

I was thinking about what to do with this bumper crop of chili peppers when I discovered that my local shop was out of my most favourite sauce in the whole wide world - Thai Sweet Chili and Garlic sauce. It's fantastic sauce. It's spicy without being overpowering, sweet without being coying. It's the most wonderful balance of chili and garlic. Not quite as thick as ketchup, but thick enough to dip my fishfingers in. It is equally at home as a dipping sauce or stir fry cooking.

Then I thought. Maybe I can make my own?

Can you help me find a recipe? Any thoughts on a book or link that can guide me in making this delicious sauce?

I've already made four years worth of spicy rooster style sauce (fermented chili and garlic). https://food52.com/recipes...

I'm looking for something a little less intense. Like ketchup is to its stronger cousin tomato paste.

Hopefully the recipe uses apple cider vinegar and includes canning instructions. Keeps well in the fridge once opened. You know, the usual saucey qualities.

Thanks in advance.

trampledbygeese
  • 4037 views
  • 11 Comments

11 Comments

Jeannie.Rak
Jeannie.Rak November 2, 2015
Thai sweet roasted chili paste should hit the spot: http://shesimmers.com/2011/01/nam-prik-pao-thai-chilli-jam-secret.html
 
Susan W.
Susan W. November 2, 2015
Funny you should mention this. I just made a version of this with lots of ginger, garlic, dried chili flakes (fresh are tasteless here) and gochugaru. I didn't add fish sauce, shrimp paste or date palm sugar, but I'm toying with the idea of taking a little out of the big batch and adding all 3 which happen to be in my pantry. Until then, this was lunch 5 minutes ago.
 
Susan W.
Susan W. November 2, 2015
This looks promising. Full disclosure, I haven't made it. I have used a few other of her recipes with great success though.
http://steamykitchen.com/28458-asian-thai-sweet-chili-sauce-recipe-video.html
 
trampledbygeese
trampledbygeese November 2, 2015
I wonder if it is a Thai recipe I'm looking for. The shop here calls it that, but when I was in the UK, my favourite sauce was from a chinese company. It was something like Yeos Chili and Garlic sauce http://www.yeos-europe.com/products_chilligarlicsauce.html (although I remember the name being 'Sweet Chili and Garlic' - it was a few years ago now, so I could be wrong).

This recipe looks tasty https://food52.com/recipes/6439-thai-sweet-chili-sauce . Although a bit small and I'm not confident enough to convert a recipe to canning. Also, I don't know how the starch would act when canned and stored for a while.

I have about three pounds of chilis left after making chili jelly, spicy rooster style sauce, dried chilis and lots of lovely curries. I would like to use at least a pound to make some hot sauce while the chillies are still fresh.
 
Nancy
Nancy November 2, 2015
I like nahm jim sauce and have made it successfully at home. But my recipe link is no longer active.
This one has similar recipe(s) and good explanations. Worth a look.
http://highheelgourmet.com/2014/03/29/thai-dipping-sauce-nam-jim/
 
trampledbygeese
trampledbygeese November 2, 2015
Thank you for the link. What a lovely collection of sauces. The Nam Jim Gai (Thai Sweet Chili Sauce) looks the closest to what I'm seeking. But no thoughts on how to can it and maybe could do with more garlic for my style.
 
Nancy
Nancy November 2, 2015
I think it is like fish sauce - lasts a long time in the fridge.
 
Nancy
Nancy November 2, 2015
I think it is like fish sauce - lasts a long time in the fridge.
 
Nancy
Nancy November 2, 2015
I think it is like fish sauce - lasts a long time in the fridge.
 
trampledbygeese
trampledbygeese November 2, 2015
That's good to know.

My real issue, is that I don't have enough fridge space for a pound of pepper made into sauce. I would really like to make a big batch of sauce while the peppers are still fresh. So I think I need to find a recipe for canning chili sauce.
 
Jeannie.Rak
Jeannie.Rak November 2, 2015
Just for linguistic clarification, "nahm jim" literally means "dipping sauce". "Nahm jim gai" means dipping sauce for chicken, and is traditionally the sweet and spicy sauce you see labeled as "Thai Sweet Chili Sauce".

You might want to look up Thai roasted chili sauce - "น้ำพริกเผา" or naam phrik pao is the Thai phrase you could Google if you're interested!
 
Recommended by Food52

Popular on Food52