Spicy Thai Dipping Sauce Recipe

Whenever you wish to add zing and bite to freshly grilled, juicy pork neck slices, barbecued chicken, or leftover cold turkey, this utterly simple recipe will liven up your meal.  An easy blend of only a handful of ingredients, This Thai dipping sauce's simplicity belies its extraordinary depth of flavour - and many guests have been surprised at just how easy it is to make.

This sauce can be prepared ahead of time and kept in a container in your refrigerator, where ageing will only enhance its complexity.

Fish sauces vary in strength depending on the brand used and the age of the bottle, so we recommend that you start with a smaller amount and then add more as required, to taste, after mixing.

We do advise you not to resort to the use of overly finely ground, bright red chili powders, but to stick to the use of the darker, whole dried chili flakes. The final sauce should not be entirely homogenous: chili flakes and a blend of textures should be visible within it.

The inclusion of the pounded, roasted rice adds a certain smokiness and of course, texture. You can omit it if you really are in a hurry.