Asia

Nonya Sauce

Recipe Notes

Yield: Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 to 2 hot chiles, such as Thai chiles or serrano peppers, seeded and finely chopped (for a hotter sauce, leave the seeds in)
2 tablespoons Asian chile paste, such as sambal ulek
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce or soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon palm sugar or light brown sugar, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk or water, or more as needed

Recipe Steps

Step 1: Heat the oil in a wok or small frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot, and chile(s) and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes, stirring often.

Step 2: Stir in the chile paste, fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, and black pepper and cook until thick, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and let the sauce simmer until it is mellow and thick but pourable, 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 3: If the sauce has thickened too much, add a little more coconut milk. Taste for sweetness, adding more palm sugar if necessary. Let the sauce cool to room temperature, then transfer it to small individual bowls for dipping. The sauce can be refrigerated, covered, for several days; let it return to room temperature before serving.