VIETNAMESE CHILI SAUCE

      Title: VIETNAMESE CHILI SAUCE
  Categories: Vietnamese, Condiment
       Yield: 1 Servings
  
       2    Dried Red Chiles
       2    Cloves Garlic
     1/2 ts Sugar
       2 tb Nam Pla (Fish Sauce)
       1 tb Vinegar
       1 tb Lemon Juice
  
   Mince the chiles and garlic finely and place in a mortar. Mash with
   the heal of a cleaver or pestle. Add sugar and stir until it
   dissolves. Add fish sauce, vinegar and lemon juice, stirring between
   each addition. This makes enough for 2-4 people. It is wise to make
   double just to make sure there is enough. It can be frozen and will
   last for a few days in the refrigerator but will lose its kick in a
   short time. This is a basic chili sauce used for a dip with chicken
   or whatever. Variations of this are found in cambodia, Thailand and
   other Southeast Asian countries. You can fiddle with it endlessly.
   This is a good starting point. The proportions shown here produce
   what might be considered a mildly warm dip. Add more chiles for a
   higher degree of "HOT". Variations: Use green Serrano chiles instead
   of dried red ones, lime juice instead of lemon juice or palm sugar
   instead of granulated. If you make it in a food processor, don't over
   process. There should be small chunks of the ingredients in the
   sauce. The taste is sour and hot, very puckery. It's great with
   poached or steamed chicken, duck or game hens. Much better with bland
   dishes rather than something like curry, which has it's own blend of
   spices. Fish Sauce or Nam Pla in Thailand is a liquid made with
   anchovies and salt. It's not really fishy tasting. Look for it in the
   oriental section of the supermarket or at markets catering to Asian
   customers. Tiparos is a good brand made in the Phillipines. Thai or
   Vietnamese fish sauce are prefered, but may be more difficult to
   find. Chinese Fish Sauce is not suitable. If you want the flavor and
   not the incendiary quality, seed the chiles before adding them.
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