VanFoodies.com

Would you agree that condiment sometimes is just as important as the dish itself? In fact, sometimes the condiment makes or breaks a dish. One day, Mama Lam whipped up this dipping sauce for some roasted pork jowl. It was so good, and I knew I had to share the recipe. It’s acidic, savoury, with a bit of heat. It’s surprisingly refreshing, and reminds me of Thai or Vietnamese flavours. All it takes is 8 simple ingredients that you likely have at home all the time.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon Sugar
• 2 tablespoon Hot Water
• 4 tablespoon White Vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 4 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 clove Shallot, chopped
• 1 Thai Chili Pepper, sliced
• 1 teaspoon Fresh Parsley, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Fully dissolve the sugar in hot water.
2. Add vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, shallot and chili pepper. Mix well and let it cool.
3. Add parsley just before serving.

Tips

• If you don’t have fresh parsley, you can use Thai basil. Or dried parsley, but put double the amount as the flavour of dried herbs is more subdue.
• Instead of soy sauce, you can use fish sauce.
• Use a jar to make this sauce. All you have to do is shake the jar to mix it well. It is also perfect for storing any extra sauce.

How to Enjoy this Sauce?

Dipping: It went well with the roasted pork jowl, but it also paired well with steamed spot prawns. It should also work with fried fish or fish cakes.

Dressing: This would be perfect as a salad dressing. Mix greens, tomatoes, cucumber and carrots tossed in this sauce. If you like, topped the salad with some roasted peanuts for texture. You can use this sauce to marinate your cold noodles or vermicelli.

Marinate: BBQ season is upon us, so use this sauce to marinate some shrimp or scallops for your next grill dinner.