Many people associate Sriracha with Vietnamese food because the hot sauce is present at many Viet restaurants. Truth be told, Sriracha is of Thai origin and the hot sauce enjoyed in Vietnam is called -- tương ớt (chile sauce) and it's friendly spicy. You can buy it easily in Vietnam and I used to cart some back with me on visits to the Motherland. However, you can also make it easily.
Today, I'm sharing with you my easy recipe for Vietnamese hot sauce, which was published in my latest cookbook, Ever-Green Vietnamese, which spotlights tasty, creative ways to use vegetables in the Vietnamese kitchen. The tương ớt Viet chile sauce can be made with ingredients at your regular supermarket and farmer's market. It's preservative free and you can dial in the heat level as you wish. For people who don't like too much fire, you can tone things down. You can even blend chiles too. Gift your creation to lucky family and friends!
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Blending chiles for a signature sauce
Below are ripe red jalapeño, Fresno, Aleppo and cayenne. I used them in equal proportions in a big batch. The result was fruit and moderate in heat -- enough for my niece to say, "I don't like hot sauce but I like this one!" Chiles ripen in late summer into late autumn so look around. Of course, shop at Asian and Latin markets and others for a wealth of flavors to choose from.
What is xanthan gum?
In the recipe below, xanthan gum is optional. It sounds scary but it's a plant-based thickening agent found in many foods, including sauces like gravies and salad dressings. That is why I use it for Viet hot sauce and the vegan mayonnaise recipe in Ever-Green Vietnamese.
Xanthan is popularly used these days for gluten-free baking. If you're concerned, here's a good xanthan gum explainer from Bob's Red Mill, which sells xanthan too. I buy xanthan gum from the bulk area at my natural (hippie) food store. What if you want to use guar gum instead of xanthan gum? You may need to use a little more. This chile sauce has vinegar and the acidity may impact the effectiveness of guar gum, according to these insights.
Viet chile sauce video tips
To demonstrate how easy it is to make Vietnamese hot sauce, here's a how-to video. Remember to select "stay" when prompted.
Choosing chiles and controlling heat
- Color: Select red peppers for a cheery look. When unavailable use green jalapeños for a sienna (brown) colored hot sauce. It will taste good but more vegetal and grassy than fruity.
- If the chiles are extra-hot, omit about one-fourth of the fleshy, whitish pith and any attached seeds when chopping.
Viet Chile Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 ounces Fresno, jalapeño, or other kind of medium-hot chiles
- ¾ cup water
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons agave syrup or mild honey, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar, plus more as needed
- Fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the garlic and chiles: Coarsely chop the garlic and put into a small saucepan. Cut the chiles into ½-inch pieces and transfer them (and their seeds) to the pan; watch the video for an efficient chile chopping tip.
- Simmer the sauce: Add the water, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the agave syrup, vinegar, and ¾ teaspoon salt to the pan. Turn on the exhaust fan to deal with the volatile chile fume that will soon float in the kitchen air. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat, then turn the heat to medium-low and let simmer steadily for about 4 minutes to combine the flavors and soften the chiles. Taste, and if it’s too spicy-hot, add additional agave syrup 1 ½ teaspoon at a time. The amount depends on the spiciness of your chiles and palate; the finished sauce will taste sweeter than it does during cooking, so don’t overdo it now. Continue cooking for 4 minutes longer.
- Cool and puree: Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes to settle the sauce and concentrate its flavor. Transfer the sauce to a blender and puree to a very smooth texture. To thicken it slightly, sprinkle with the xanthan gum, and briefly re-blend. If the sauce texture isn’t smooth enough, pass it through a fine-mesh strainer.
- Revisit and tweak: Let the sauce sit for 10 minutes, uncovered, to further develop flavor. Taste and add additional agave syrup ½ teaspoon at a time to tame heat, vinegar ½ teaspoon at a time to brighten, salt by the pinch to add a savory edge, and/or water by 1 tablespoon at a time to dilute flavor or texture. Transfer the sauce to a jar or squeeze bottle and let cool, uncovered, to room temperature before using or capping and storing.
