There’s a star Thai condiment sitting on most American grocery store shelves that you probably walk past every time you shop. It’s known as nam jim gai or nam jim kai, aka Thai sweet chile sauce. The store-bought version is actually quite good, but is a little too sweet for some people’s taste buds.
The authentic homemade version balances sweet heat and acidity. It’s excellent on grilled meats, meatballs, and just about any fried food that you can throw at it. I like to eat it on venison breakfast sausage biscuits with a little pimento cheese. Sounds weird, but it’s great.
It’s a budget-friendly condiment and a great way to use up any extra chilies from your summer garden. The traditional recipe uses red Thai chilies, but you can use any spicy chili you have. Just be aware that the heat levels will obviously change with the pepper varieties.
Cook’s Notes:
For a little added flavor, I like to add fresh lime juice, a splash of fish sauce, and herbs like Thai basil or cilantro. This goes especially well with pork, fish, and shellfish.
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups rice wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar
- 12-16 Thai chilies, sliced thin
- 20 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- To a pot, add the water, vinegar and sugar. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Simmer the mixture for 8-10 minutes.
- In a food processor, add the chilies and garlic. Pulse until they are finely chopped.
- Add the chilies and garlic to the pot and bring to a slow simmer. Cook until the mixture just becomes syrupy. It will thicken as it cools down. If you reduce it down to much, thin out with a little water and check for seasoning. The sauce will keep in your refrigerator for about 2 months.
NOTES
- Simmer the sugar mixture first. Cook the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt until the sugar fully dissolves and the liquid has simmered for about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Pulse the garlic and chiles small. Finely chopped pieces give the sauce a better texture than leaving them in big chunks.
- Stop before it gets too thick. Cook it only until it just starts to look syrupy, because it thickens more as it cools.
- Thin it if needed. If you reduce it too far, stir in a little water and check the seasoning again.
- Use the chiles you have. Thai chiles are standard here, but other hot red chiles work too. The heat level will change depending on the pepper.
- Store it in the fridge. It keeps for about 2 months once cooled and refrigerated.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
