Thai Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe
Sweet, savory, spicy, tangy, and sticky, all at the same time, Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (Nam Chim Kai, Nam Jim Gai) is a versatile Asian sauce that gets ready in 10 minutes and can be stored for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Make this Asian staple using my easy recipe.
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 and ¼ cups water divided
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes add less for less spicy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar or regular white vinegar, apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 2 teaspoons sambal oelek or red chili paste or Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce skip or replace with soy sauce for vegan
Instructions
- Stir together cornstarch with ¼ cup water to make a slurry. Set aside.
- Add white sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1 cup water, rice vinegar, salt, ketchup, sambal oelek, and fish sauce to a saucepan and stir to combine.
- Heat on medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Stir frequently while cooking.
- Add the cornstarch slurry and mix well.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens, stirring continuously.
- Remove the pan from heat and let the sauce cool down. Transfer to a clean glass jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
- Stir nicely and warm it in a microwave or a pan over the stovetop to room temperature before serving.
Video
Notes
The quantity of ingredients mentioned above will make 1 cup of sauce. You can easily double or triple the recipe as per your needs.
You can replace white sugar with honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, or brown rice syrup if you wish to. Since these options are liquid, you will have to add a little extra cornstarch.
If you have a corn allergy, then replace cornstarch with potato starch or tapioca flour.
The store-bought sauce mostly has xanthan gum added to it. It is a plant-based ingredient that has no side effects and it stabilizes the sauce (prevents it from splitting). You can add a teaspoon of it once the homemade sweet chili sauce is cooked.
Nutrition
Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 280mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 127IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg
