Small Dish of Ginger Sauce

Ginger Sauce for Dipping


Laos   -   (Jail King)   |   Viet   -   (Nuoc Mam Gung)
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3 ounces
*
15 min
Best		 This dipping sauce is also often used for chicken, and as an ingredient. It can vary in hotness, sweetness and sourness, and can be made vegetarian by doubling the Soy Sauce - or, see Comments.




2
4
2
2
3
3
1-1/2 		in
cl

t
T
T
T 		Ginger Root
Garlic
Thai Chili (1)
Sugar (2)
Fish Sauce (3)  
Soy Sauce
Lime Juice 		Make   -   (15 min + mature)
  1. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Chop GINGER and CHILIS fine. Pound together to a paste in a mortar, along with Sugar (or see Note-4).
  2. Squeeze LIME JUICE.
  3. Mix together All Items.
  4. Set aside for 3 hours or refrigerate overnight if possible, to let flavors mature. Packed in a small tightly covered jar this sauce will keep at least 3 weeks in the fridge.
NOTES:
  1. Thai Chilis   These are quite hot, so two will make this sauce moderately hot by Southern California standards. Use your own best judgement. For details see our Thai Chilis page.
  2. Sugar:   As usual, I have cut the amount of sugar in half to better suit Western tastes (and health). Adjust to your own taste.
  3. Fish Sauce:   This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.
  4. Method:   Instead of pounding the solid ingredients in a mortar, the finished sauce can be run in a mini-prep processor. Texture will be a bit different, but quite usable.
  5. Comments:   Vegetarian? You can do as is done in parts of India and just declare fish to be "fruits of the sea". Heck, if the Catholic Church can declare Beavers to be fish, why not?
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch
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