Chili Vinegar Sauce

(click to enlarge)	Chili Vinegar Sauce Thailand - Nam Pla Prik
	Makes: Effort: Sched: DoAhead:	7 oz ** 20 min Best	An essential Thai table condiment - especially useful when you have to make the food less hot for guests. You spoon both the liquid and chili slices onto your food - which adds hotness and sourness without conflict with the true flavors of the food it is used with.
If you must have a pure vegetarian version, use 1 t salt instead of the fish sauce and add a little palm sugar. This sauce is also made with lime juice (see Chili Lime Sauce) but I prefer this one because so many Thai dishes already have plenty of lime juice in them. This one is also less perishable.

3
1/2
3

oz
c
T

Thai Chilis (1)
Rice Vinegar. white
Fish Sauce

Slice CHILIS very thin, discarding any that have turned dark inside. Mix with Vinegar and Fish Sauce.
Store in a tightly sealed jar. If possible age it a few days before using to allow heat and flavor to blend and mellow. The bright green color soon fades to olive green, but the flavor is good. This condiment keeps weeks at room temperature, many months refrigerated.

NOTES:

Thai Chilis
These are generally used green, though I sometimes include a few red ones. Before fresh Thai chilis were available in California, Thai restaurants used Serranos. People became so accustomed to the more flavorful Serrano, better restaurants now provide both (authenticity and flavor). To satisfy the demands of those who've been to California, Serrano chilis are now being grown in Thailand. If using Serranos, use half as many - they are not as hot, but much larger. Less hot chilis are far less satisfying in this sauce. For details see our Chili Page.
U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste

sjv_chilivinegar1 060325 rt188 - - www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@clovegarden.com - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page permitted