Author Notes
The recent article for Red Boat fish sauce got me reminiscing about this fish and sugar dip that my mother used for tart, crisp fruit. As with lots of Mom's (great) recipes, there is a lot of eyeballing, but I've tried my best to provide measurements. Please consider this as more of guidelines and adjust to suit your preferences. It's a deliciously potent dip, so a little goes a long way. This served with tart fruit has all the flavor elements of Southeast Asia, sweet-salt-spicy-sour, in one bite —HalfPint
Ingredients
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3 tablespoons
granulated sugar
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1 tablespoon
fish sauce, like Red Boat
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1
small fresh chili, sliced thinly
Directions
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Mix fish sauce and sugar to combine. It should be saucy and grainy with a bit of undissolved sugar (which is ok). It should not be a dry paste. Add more fish sauce or water, 1/2 tsp at a time, until you get a liquidy consistency.
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Stir in chili slices, a few at time until you get the heat that you prefer. The flavors should be more on the sweet side with the salty providing a nice counterpoint. The chilis add a kick that goes well with the sweet.
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Serve with cut up / sliced fruit that is tart and crisp, like Granny Smith apples and not-quite-ripe mango. Since this dip is potent, dip lightly.
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