Recipe - Nam Jim Viet (vietnam Sauce)

1 One half cup Water
One half cup White granulated sugar
One fourth cup Kratiem (garlic), chopped
very fine
One fourth cup Prik chi fa (Thai
jalapenas), cut or sliced up paper
thin
1 tablespoon Tamarind paste
1 tablespoon Nam manao (lime juice)
1 teaspoon Fish sauce
Gelling agent (optional)

This is a popular dipping sauce in Thailand, though exactly why it is
called 'Vietnamese' nobody seems able to tell me.

The sauce may be thickened with gelatine or any of the typical vegetable
gelling agents sold for preserve making: simply use them to thicken the
sugar syrup as if it were water.

Some commercial versions of this sauce puree the chillies but home made
versions are usually made from paper thin slices of chilli.

a tablespoon of vinegar can be substituted for the tamarind paste.
METHOD: Warm the water, and soak the tamarind paste in it for an hour, then
squeeze it thoroughly to extract as much juice as possible, and then pass
it through a chinois or other very fine sieve to remove the pulp.

Bring the water to a gentle boil, and stir in the sugar, dissolving each
addition thoroughly, and continuing until have added it all, then continue
to simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, to thicken it, by reducing the
mixture to about 1 cup.

slice the chillies and chop the garlic, then when the sugar syrup is
reduced, add the lime juice, and fish sauce (and the gelling agent if you
are using it), and allow to cool.

When the mixture is down to a warm room temperature, stir in the chillies
and garlic, and leave to stand for about 30 minutes, before tasting and if
necessary adding a little more lime juice or fish sauce to taste.

Store in a well sealed preserving jar. It will keep 68 weeks in a
refrigerator.
Posted to CHILEHEADS DIGEST V3 #140

Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1996 15:43:37 0700

From: "Colonel I.F.K. Philpott" colonel@korat1.vukorat.ac.th