Chef John's Thai-Style Sweet Chili Sauce

Cinco de Mayo - Side Dish

Here's my take on Thai-style sweet chili sauce, or Nam Jim. It's sort of a hybrid between the cooked and fresh versions. If you can't find Thai bird's eye chilies, use any other combination of fresh, preserved, and/or dried chilies. Things like jalapeno, red Fresno, or Serrano chilies work great, as does habanero. This sauce is great on grilled chicken and pork.

Brief

Prep 10 mins

Cook: 5 mins

Additional: 5 mins

Total: 20 mins

Servings: 8

Yield: 1 cup sauce

Chef John's Thai-Style Sweet Chili Sauce

Ingredients

½ cup water

½ cup white distilled vinegar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

½ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon ketchup

2 teaspoons sambal chili sauce

1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch

6 cloves finely crushed garlic

2 tablespoons finely minced Thai chili peppers (bird's eye peppers)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Authentic Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (Coctel de Camarones estilo Mexicano)

Side Dish

Directions

Step 1

Place 1/2 cup cold fresh water and vinegar in a saucepan. Whisk in Asian fish sauce brown sugar ketchup sambal chili sauce and cornstarch. Whisk until cornstarch disappears. Place over medium-high heat and bring up to a simmer stirring occasionally. As it bubbles it will start to thicken up. Remove pan from heat.

Step 2

Whisk garlic and chili into hot mixture. Add fresh lime juice; whisk again. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature before checking for seasonings.

Step 3

If not using immediately transfer to a glass jar with a lid. Refrigerate.

Nutritional Information

Chef John's Thai-Style Sweet Chili Sauce

Servings Per Recipe:8

Calories: 65.2

% Daily Value *

Protein: 0.4g 1%

Carbohydrates: 16.4g 5%

Dietary Fiber: 0.1g

Sugars: 14.3g

Vitamin A Iu: 47.9IU 1%

Niacin Equivalents: 0.2mg 2%

Vitamin B6: 0.1mg 4%

Vitamin C: 7.5mg 13%

Folate: 3mcg 1%

Calcium: 18.5mg 2%

Iron: 0.2mg 1%

Magnesium: 9.3mg 3%

Potassium: 55.4mg 2%

Sodium: 310.2mg 12%

Calories From Fat: 0.2

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Nutrition information is provided for reference only. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.