Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

4.94 from 15 votes

Make Thai sweet chili sauce at home easily with this recipe. Just 9 ingredients and 20 minutes. Stores well for up to a month. Called nam chim kai, use this dipping sauce for appetizers, snacks, finger food or stir fries and barbecues.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Dips, Dressings & Sauces

Cuisine: Asian, Thai

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: Portions

Author: Richa

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper or Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
3 tablespoon Garlic finely minced
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1/2 cup Vinegar (Rice or Apple Cider)
1 cup Water
3 tablespoon Chilli Paste (See Note 1 & 2 - or Sambal Oelek or Red Chili flakes)
1 tablespoon Corn Flour or Cornstarch (See Note 3)
2 tablespoon Water

Instructions

Add sugar, cayenne, minced garlic, soy sauce, salt, vinegar, and water to a saucepan and let it simmer (about 3-4 minutes), stirring occasionally till the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture reduces slightly.
Add the chilli paste and mix. Simmer again for 2-3 minutes.
Mix together cornflour and water in a bowl till no lumps exist and stir in this cornflour slurry into the sauce. Mix continuously till the sauce comes to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer till for 3-4 minutes till the sauce is thick, translucent and shiny. Turn off the flame.
Serve immediately or cool completely and then transfer to a clean jar. Refrigerate for up to 4 weeks.

Video

Notes

Chilli Paste: You can make chilli paste by grinding fresh Thai red chillies in a food processor to a coarse paste. If using dried red chillies, hydrate them in hot water for 10 minutes and then grind. Sambal Oelek or chilli flakes can be substituted.
Reducing heat: Take out the seeds off the red chillies to reduce the heat in the sauce
Cornflour: Can be substituted with potato or tapioca starch
The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks

Nutrition