Vietnamese Chili Sauce For Dipping

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Vietnamese Chili Sauce For Dipping

 

2 dried red chilies

2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons fish sauce or vegetarian hoisan sauce

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

 

The red stuff can be had in stores. It comes in a clear plastic bottle with a

green lid and a red rooster on the plastic. Or in smaller glass jars. It's

called " Tuong ot toi Viet Nam " (tung ot toy) and is nothing more than red chiles

mashed up with a bit of garlic. You could easily make it by smashing up a

handful of the little red hot peppers and a couple of cloves of garlic in a

mortar and pestle. There's a similar Filipino sauce called Sambal

Oeleck--virtually the same but with the addition of vinegar.

Mince chilies and garlic finely and place in a mortar. Mash with the heel of a

cleaver or pestle. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add fish sauce or

vegetarian hoisan sauce, vinegar and lemon juice, stirring between each

addition. This makes enough for 2 to 4 people. I almost always double the recipe

just to make sure there's enough. I've kept it for long periods of time but

unless you freeze it, it's past it's prime after a few days.

I like wontons and eggrolls dipped in this.