Thai food is known for its variety of spices.
Those who enjoy dining in Thai restaurants will be familiar with the various dipping sauces provided with your main dishes, to enable you to add flavor and spice to your personal taste. In Thailand, dipping sauces are also used to add flavor to sticky rice or to accompany snack food such as raw vegetables and crispy pork skins.
Black Bean Sauce (Nam Jeem See-eu Dam)
Black bean sauce is a well known Thai dipping sauce, commonly served with beef dishes. Combine 1/2 cup sweet soy sauce, 1/4 cup coconut vinegar, 1/4 cup date palm sugar or brown sugar and 1 tbsp. crushed black beans in a small pan and cook them over a medium to high heat until the sugar is fully dissolved, stirring constantly. Then bring it to the boil and cook for one further minute. The sauce should be served warm and can be stored, covered, for up to seven days in a refrigerator.
Chili-Ginger-Garlic Sauce (Nam Phrik Jaew)
Ginger is widely used in Thai cooking.
For a cold dipping sauce with a kick, try a chili, ginger and garlic sauce; it's ideal for chicken dishes and salads. Mix together 1/4 cup minced garlic, 1/4 cup minced ginger, 1/4 cup yellow bean sauce, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1/4 cup light soy sauce, 1/4 cup palm sugar and two thinly sliced Thai chilis. The sauce can be kept in a jar in the refrigerator.
Cilantro Fish Sauce (Nam Pla Pak Chee)
Garlic adds flavor to Thai cooking.
Another popular dipping sauce is cilantro fish sauce, often enjoyed with seafood dishes. Cilantro, also known as Chinese parsley, is the term used for the leaves of the coriander plant. Add a handful of roughly chopped cilantro to 2 tbsp. fish sauce (nam Pla), 2 tbsp. water, 1 tbsp. lime juice, 2 tsp. palm sugar, 1 tsp. grated ginger, 1 tsp. minced shallots, two minced garlic cloves and four sliced Thai chilis. Put everything in a blender and liquidize, taking care not to overheat. The finished product should be bright green.
Tags: dipping sauce, palm sugar, bean sauce, dipping sauces, fish sauce, lime juice