Small Dish of Veitnamese Sate Sauce
(click to enlarge)

Sate Sauce, Vietnamese


Vietnam   -   Ot Sa Te
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 1-1/2 cup
***
40 min
Yes		 A very flavorful Chili Garlic Sauce recipe with Lemon Grass, often used over noodle dishes. This is a fairly simple and fairly mild version - I can almost eat it with a spoon. See Comments.

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-- Aromatics
Lemon Grass (1)
Garlic
Shallots
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Oil (2)
Sugar
Salt
Chili Flake (3)
Paprika (4)
Fish Sauce (5)
Sriracha Sauce (6)
Make   -   (40 min - plus cooling)
  1. Peel off tough outer leaves of LEMON GRASS and cut off the hard root end. Smash the bottom 5 inches well with your kitchen mallet, then slice crosswise as thin as you can. Pound in big stone mortar to soften (see Note-7).
  2. Crush GARLIC through a Garlic Press and chop fine. Chop SHALLOTS fine. Pound them together with the Lemon Grass in the mortar.
  3. In a saucepan, heat Oil over medium high flame. Stir in Aromatics mix, Sugar and Salt and fry with light stirring for about 3 minutes - you want the raw smell gone, but there should be no browning. Take off the heat and allow to cool for about 4 minutes.
  4. Stir in Chili Flake (2 oz is about 1/2 cup) and Paprika until well distributed.
  5. Place back over Low Heat for about 2 minutes to blend flavors.
  6. When you see some bubbling, stir in Fish Sauce. Taste and stir in Sriracha to your preference. Bring just to a simmer, then take off the heat and let cool before serving.
NOTES:

  1. Lemongrass:

      These tough grass stems are now widely available in North American markets that serve a Southeast Asian community. I've even seen them in some Korean markets. For details see our Lemon Grass page.

  2. Oil:

      Use a fairly neutral oil. Olive Pomace or Pure Olive Oil are good, but not Virgin.

  3. Chili Flake:

      Thai chili flake is usually made from long moderately hot chilis. I use Korean flake which is similarly mild, and much easier to find around here. For details see our Thai Chilis page.

  4. Paprika:

      This is for color and consistency. A real Hungarian Paprika will have better color and flavor than supermarket Paprika.

  5. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.

  6. Sriracha Sauce:

      This is your final heat adjustment. Use none or a lot depending on your preference, but this is a sauce so it should be a bit hotter than something you would want to eat alone. The ubiquitous Huy Fong Foods (Rooster Brand) Sriracha Sauce will work fine.

  7. Pulverizing:

      This is best done in a big stone mortar, but you can use a mini-prep processor. The result will be a bit different, and garlic and shallots aren't well behaved in a processor, but it will work if you scrape down the sides a few times.

  8. Comments:

      Say "Sa TEAR". This sauce, originated from the TeoChew people in eastern Guangdong Province on the south coast of China. It is totally different from Thai Sate Sauce, which is made from peanuts. It is made in many levels of complexity and hotness. The oil that comes to the top is often drizzled on dishes as a garnish - it is brilliant red, even though it doesn't look that way in the photo.
  9. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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