![A bowl of bright red chile sauce sitting on a blue background.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/assets.bonappetit.com/photos/643dca409ccf557ba729da70/1:1/w_2560%2Cc_limit/20230417-0423-WEB-RECIPES-22473.jpg)
Vietnamese-style chile sauce isn’t as bold and fiery as the popular sriracha found at Vietnamese American restaurants. With the inclusion of a little tomato paste, it’s sweet, fruity, and friendly-hot, so you can use plenty when building these Char Siu Tofu Bao Sliders, or anything else that deserves a delicious kick.
All products featured on Bon Appétit are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through the retail links below, we earn an affiliate commission.
What you’ll need
Small Saucepan
$155 At Amazon
Rubber Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Blender
$40 At Amazon
8-Oz. Glass Jars
$29 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
30 minutes
Yield
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients
2
4
3
2
2
1½
¼
Preparation
Step 1
Bring 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped, 4 oz. Fresno chiles, jalapeños, or other medium-hot chiles, cut into ½" pieces, 3 Tbsp. tomato paste, 2 Tbsp. agave nectar or mild honey, 2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¾ cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat with the exhaust fan on (to deal with the volatile chile fumes that will soon be floating in the air). Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chiles are softened and flavors have come together, about 4 minutes. Taste; if it’s too hot, add more agave nectar 1½ tsp. at a time. (The amount will depend on the spiciness of the chiles and your heat preference; the finished sauce will taste sweeter than it does during cooking, so don’t overdo it.) Continue to cook 4 minutes more. Remove from heat; let sit 5 minutes to allow flavors to concentrate.
Step 2
Transfer sauce to a blender and purée until very smooth. Sprinkle ¼ tsp. xanthan gum over if using (it will thicken the sauce slightly) and blend just to combine. Let sauce sit, uncovered, 10 minutes.
Step 3
Taste sauce; add more agave nectar, vinegar, salt, and/or some water (to dilute) if needed. Transfer to a small jar or airtight container; let cool before covering.
Do ahead: Sauce can be made 6 months ahead. Cover and chill.
![The cover of the cookbook Ever-Green Vietnamese by Andrea Nguyen](https://cdn.statically.io/img/assets.bonappetit.com/photos/643db1d548a39dfdb1e58784/master/w_160%2Cc_limit/ever-green%2520vietnamese%2520cookbook.jpeg)
Leave a Review
Reviews (2)
Back to TopI do this with jalapeños, habaneros, cayenne, Thai and long green Indian chilies mixed. The honey-tomato tempers the most fiery flavorful chilies, and we like it got
A cook from Buffalo
Buffalo, NY
7/18/2024