Chilli and Lime - Asian flavours with an awesome twist

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This spicy sauce is one of the very common sauces that you find in Thailand. We often pair it with grilled meat and traditionally use fish sauce as one of the main ingredients, but as this is a vegetarian version of this Thai spicy sauce (totally vegan friendly) I’ll be using soy sauce instead.

The other important ingredient is “Toasted rice powder” (you can find how to make it simply by pressing here). Toasted rice powder helps thicken the sauce and also give the thai spicy sauce a distinct texture and a signature nutty aroma, so please make sure you prepare the toasted rice powder in advance.

For flavor in this Thai spicy sauce, we already have a salty flavour from soy sauce. We add sweetness from the sugar, for the acidic flavor, we’ll be using lime, but it’s also common to use tamarind. If you can’t find any tamarind or lime, you can also use lemon. To spice it up, we use dried chilli flakes, but if you only have fresh chillies at hand, they can also be used.

If you are looking for a great vegan barbecue option, check out our Grilled mushrooms with black pepper sauce recipe!

Spicy Thai Dipping Sauce (แจ่ว) Recipe

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
Portions: 4 portions

You’ll need:

2-3 tbsp. Soy sauce
1-2 tsp. Sugar
2-3 tbsp. Lime juice
1 tbsp. Chilli flakes (adjustable)
½ tbsp. Toasted rice powder (adjustable)
1-2 tbsp. Spring onion (sliced)
1-2 tbsp. Culantro or coriander (sliced)
3-4 Red shallot (small – thinly sliced)
A dash of water

Let’s start!

Add soy sauce and lime juice followed by sugar then stir til the sugar has dissolved.
Adjust the flavor to your liking.
Add the shallots and all the greens (spring onion, culantro).
Then add chilli flake and toasted rice powder.
That’s it! Simple and absolutely delicious.

Tips:

If you need to prepare the sauce in advance, better leave the herbs and toasted rice out then add it in just before you serve the sauce. This helps keep the flavor fresh, cause the rice will swell as it absorbs the liquid and the greens will wilt from the acidic lime and won’t look as appetizing.