Vietnamese Barbecue Sauce

It’s just like making American barbecue sauce, just with a few different ingredients. Using scallions, ginger, onions, and Thai chilies as a delicious flavor base and a few umami bombs like fish sauce, coconut aminos, and liquid smoke. This, sweet, umami sauce is filled with aromatics and packs quite the punch.

You’ll want to start by sweating your vegetables in a some sesame oil, slowly cooking until just beginning to brown. Using a food processor or chopper to get the veggies into small, pulverized pieces helps to release the most flavor in the least amount of time, but a fine dice is all you really need. Leaving the chilies whole makes the dish much less spicy in the end.

I still include brown sugar and molasses in the recipe, although palm sugar or piloncillo can be used. Fish sauce is a traditional Vietnamese ingredients, I prefer Red Boat brand. Coconut aminos are sweet and savory, and helps to level the heat of the chili.

After the veggies are cooked, a quick deglaze with the chicken stock imbues the sauce with those browned flavor bits, and comes together lickety-split. Just mix everything else in, simmer until it thickens, and you’re good to go.

The Recipe:

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 1 clove garlic,

• 4 green onions

• 1/2 white onion

• 1-inch knob ginger

• 6 red Thai chilies

• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced

• 1 cup ketchup

• 1 cup chicken stock, low sodium

• 1/3 cup molasses

• 1/3 cup brown sugar or piloncillo

• juice of 1/2 lime

• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoon fish sauce

• 1 tsp liquid smoke

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• Small dash of salt and pepper

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

Chop vegetables until fine in a food processor, and cook in sesame oil 8-12 minutes, until they start to form browned bits in the pan. Deglaze with the chicken stock, and add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until it costs the back of a spoon.