MaePloy Sweet Chile Sauce

[MexicoKaren]

Could someone help me out with this? A few weeks ago, I was reading a thread that had a recipe which included sweet chili sauce. It sounded SO good, but I was sure I'd never find sweet chili sauce here...but now I found some! At a new Asian market that just opened in Vallarta. I've searched for the thread and recipe, but no luck...does anyone remember???? Thanks!

[SierraCook]

Karen,

I posted this recipe along time ago here at DC. If it is not the one you were looking for you might enjoy it anyway.

SC


Vietnamese Chicken Salad

11?4 lbs. cooked chicken, shredded by hand into julienne strips
6 oz. thin rice stick noodles (maifun)
1 package of Mann™s broccoli slaw
2 tablespoons oil
1 1?2 cups grated carrot
2 cups bean sprouts
1?4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1?4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1?2 cup finely chopped scallion greens
1?4 cup dry-roasted peanuts

Fill large bowl with very hot water out of tap, enough to cover noodles. Soak noodles in water for ten minutes. Rinse under cold water in colander and drain thoroughly. Clip noodles in to 3-inch lengths and arrange on large serving platter.

Stir-fry broccoli slaw in 2 tablespoons oil for approximately 2 minutes. Allow to cool. Completely cover rice noodles with broccoli slaw. Arrange chicken in the center of platter over the broccoli slaw and then arrange carrots and bean sprouts around it in a circle. Sprinkle with cilantro, basil, scallions, and chopped peanuts on top of salad. Serve the salad at room temperature or chilled.

Serve with the Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce on the side or pour it over the top and toss before serving. This sauce can be purchased under the name of Sweet Chili (Nuoc Cham) Sauce. The brand name is Mae Ploy.

Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce:

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Juice of 3 limes or 2 lemons
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons sugar
1?4 cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons grated carrot

Soak the crushed red pepper in citrus juice for several minutes. Add the garlic, sugar, and fish sauce and stir to dissolve the sugar. Transfer to serving container, add the grated carrots and serve at room temperature. Refrigerated, the sauce will keep in a tightly covered container for up to 5 days. Makes about 2/3 cup.

[MexicoKaren]

Oh, that sounds very good, thanks! I also got some maifun, so I think I have all the ingredients I need. I have company coming for dinner in a few days - I'll try it.

[jennyema]

That kind of sauce is meant basically to be a dipping sauce but can also be used as a marinade (with fish sauce and lime) for grilled chicken and in other sauces and dressings.

[buckytom]

karen, sweet chili sauce is great on grilled squid, shrimp, or chicken. an appetizer that i often order is simply grilled squid rings atop a bed of lettuce, shredded carrots, and fresh cilantro.

[TATTRAT]

Personally, I think that sweet Thai chili sauce is THE BEST, straight out of the bottle condiment ever. I use it on the daily.

As far as recipes go, the sky is the limit. I like to marinate salmon in it with some fresh cilantro, a little sesame oil, and a little lime juice(or orange juice) and grill it on up.

[BBQ Mikey]

This recipe relies heavily on the asian sweet chili sauce.

Mike's Spicy.

2 sliced Scallions
2 lbs chicken
2 tsp. minced garlic
3-4 tablespoon "sweet cooking chili"
1-2 cup oil
1.5 tsp. chili oil (to sub, use vegetable)
Cornstarch
1 egg
1/2 tsp cornstarch 1/2 tsp water mixed

Break egg and mix in small bowl
Put chicken in egg, then coat in corn starch (potato starch is much better)
Cook chicken until crispy in oil (cooked 3/4 way thru)
Drain chicken, remove oil from wok.
Reduce wok heat to medium/medium high
"necklace" wok in chili oil (or regular oil, do not use sesame) This will result in the wok being oily and ready for sauce, use 1.5 tsp. oil.
add garlic and scallions, stir for 3-5 seconds
quickly add the sweet cooking chile and 1/2 tsp cornstarch 1/2 tsp water mixed
add chicken and stir vigorously to coat. Your sauce should be thick and bubbly, if not, add Slurry = (cornstarch and water)

Enjoy

[MexicoKaren]

Jennyema, Buckytom, Tattrat and Mikey - thanks for the great ideas. My mouth is watering thinking about that squid...I have never cooked it fresh, and it is readily available here in the markets - also octopus. Maybe I'll get brave. Maybe I should have bought more than one bottle!!!

[Porthand]

Karen,

I have to second Tatt's comment. A friend who had served in the navy mainly touring the Pacific turned me on to Mae Ploy several years ago. I use it right out of the bottle on grilled pork chops or chicken. Now that I'm thinking of it grilled salmon with sweet chili sauce sounds good too!

Mike

[BreezyCooking]

I ALWAYS have a bottle of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce in my pantry &/or fridge. SO many uses!!

I like to top large pan-seared dry-pack scallops with a dollop. I also like to use it as a "barbecue sauce" for grilled chicken. And then, of course, there are all those Asian recipes it's good in.