Vegetarian Roasted Chili Sauce Recipe

Vegetarian Roasted Chili Sauce

This vegetarian Thai roasted chili sauce makes an excellent spicy dip for Crudités. The combination of sweet, spicy, and smokey flavors of Nam Prik Pao are a real treat when blended with a cold, crisp cucumber wedge.

The traditional recipe for nam prik pao includes fish sauce and shrimp paste, but this recipe manages to give you all the authentic favor you would expect from roasted chili sauce without those ingredients. Khun Worawut also uses this recipe as a component to flavor his vegetarian Tom Yum, which is excellent. Try it, you'll love it!

Yield: 1/2 Cup
Prep time: 20 Minutes
Cooking time: 5 Minutes
Ready in: 45 Minutes

Ingredients:
  • 5 - 6 Sun Dried Thai Long Chilies
  • 5 - 6 Sun Dried Thai Hot Chilies
  • 3 large cloves Garlic
  • 4 - 5 small Red Shallots
  • 1/4 Cup raw Peanuts
  • 1 teaspoon Tamarind Paste
  • 1 Tablespoon Yellow Soybean Paste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon Dark Sweet Soy Sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons Coconut Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt

Basic Directions:

1) Heat a wok or large frying pan. Lay the chilies, shallots, and garlic (unpeeled) in the pan so they are all touching the heat. The chilies will puff up, crackle, and start to burn. You want them to be at least 50% black charcoal. Remove them when they are, then continue turning the shallots and garlic until they too are getting a little black in some places and softening up a lot.

2) Grind the roasted chilies with salt using a mortar and pestle. When a fine powder is obtained, add new ingredients in this order for the best results: garlic, shallots, peanuts, yellow soybean paste, tamarind paste, light soy sauce, and dark sweet soy sauce. Mix well into a ball of paste.

3) Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan or wok. Scoop the wet paste into the oiled pan. Push and mash the paste into the oil as much as possible. Let it fry for about a minute and get hot, but not burning.

4) Add about 1/4 of water to the pan, stir it into the paste until you have a consistent smooth texture. Allow to cool, then place in a container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator, serve at room temperature.

For more detailed information and a free video lesson, visit this web page: thaicookbook.tv/?rid=31