Thai/Lao Classic Hot Sauce

Author: Manivan Larprom
Recipe for the Classic Thai / Lao Hot Sauce:
Ingredients: 1 garlic clove; 1 Red Chili; 1 Green Chili; 1 tablespoon squeezed Lime; 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
Instructions: In a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic and chilies until they are in small pieces. Add squeezed lime and fish sauce and mix. Pour the Classic Thai / Lao Hot Sauce into a small dipping bowl for serving. The above ingredients can be multiplied to suit the number of servings.
You can substitute soy sauce for fish sauce but it would not be authentic nor classic.
Pour this sauce over rice or dip the sauce with sticky rice and grilled meat.
The basic ingredients that are used in Thailand and Laos include: garlic, chilies, fish or soy sauce, lime or rice vinegar, and sugar. However, the proportion of each ingredient varies depending on the dish and the cook. With the exception of dessert dishes, these ingredients are in most Thai and Lao dishes. Every dish has a unique balance of these basic ingredients.
For a gourmet flavour: grill the garlic, chilies, one or two cherry tomotoes, and one quartre grilled onion bulb. Crush them in a mortar and pestle. Mix two tablespoons each of fish sauce and fresh squeezed lime. Serve this at a barbeque gathering.
A Thai or Lao home is not complete without a mortar and pestle. The mortar is usually made from clay and pestle from wood. For the authentic taste and texture of Thai and Lao food, you need to invest in a mortar and pestle. For now, use a food processor until you get one.
Visit my blog at http://www.thai-laos-food.blogspot.com/ to view the instructional video on how the sauce is made by using the traditional method of a mortar and pestle.

About the Author

A Thai / Laos girl who has a mission to teach others on how to cook Thai and Lao food. Her blog at http://www.thai-laos-food.blogspot.com/ lists many recipes. As well, there are some instructional videos that show the traditional cooking methods that are used today in Thailand and Laos.