Sweet chilli and lime sauce

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 8 red bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped
• 1 stalk lemongrass, white part finely chopped, stem halved
• 4 makrut lime leaves, lightly crushed
• 2 cm piece galangal, grated
• 270 g (1 cup) palm sugar, grated
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 limes, zested, juiced

Will keep refrigerated for up to 1 month.

Makes ⅔ cup

Instructions

Place chillies, lemongrass, lime leaves, galangal, sugar and 375 ml water in a pan, stirring to dissolve sugar.

Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 25 minutes or until mixture is slightly syrupy.

Discard lemongrass stem, then stir in fish sauce, lime zest and juice. Cool. Serve with grilled or fried foods.

Photography by Brett Stevens.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.