Recipe: Bangkok to Bali BBQ Sauce and Sri Racha Hot Sauce

BANGKOK TO BALI BBQ SAUCE
Makes about 1 1/3 cups

This is a rich, delicious barbecue sauce with a lot of depth and plenty of smoky white pepper heat. It's absolute simplicity to make, requiring no cooking, and it's especially good for beef and pork ribs, chops and steaks. For a more savory burger, mix a little of this sauce into ground beef or turkey.

1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
1/4 cup Sri Racha hot sauce or prepared sri racha (recipe follows)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons white pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon palm sugar or light brown sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Mix well, until the sugar is dissolved and blended into the sauce.

This will keep for 2 weeks, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.

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SRI RACHA HOT SAUCE
Makes about 2 1/2 cups

This sauce was first made in the coastal town of Sri Racha, in southern Thailand, and its combination of sweetness and spice is a classic example of how Thai people balance flavors. The popularity of Sri Racha is global. We've seen it on taco stand counters in California.

Sri racksa has a consistency like that of ketchup. but the flavor is more complex, thanks to the sun-dried chillies which are the foundation of its recipe Although commercial brands are excellent, it's easy to make your own and wonderful to put in bottles to give as gifts.

6 large dried red chillies, such as New Mexico or California
4 small dried red chillies, such as chile de arbol or Japanese chillies
1 (28 ounce) can peeled whole plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
6 large cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt

Snip the chillies into 1 to 2-inch pieces with kitchen shears or break them up with your hands. Some cooks wear gloves when working with hot peppers: we simply wash our hands very well afterward with soap. Place all the chilies in a medium-size mixing bowl, cover with hot water, and let soak until soft and flexible, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain the canned tomatoes Squeeze out the excess juice from each tomato. Put 2 or 3 tomatoes in a blender and add all the garlic. Process until the mixture is pureed and the garlic is smoothly incorporated into the mix.

Drain the chillies, add them to the blender, and process until the mixture is nearly smooth. Add the remaining tomatoes, the vinegar, sugar, and salt and process until smooth.

You can use right away or store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Source: From Bangkok to Bali in 30 Minutes: 165 Fast and Easy Recipes with the Lush, Tropical Flavors of Southeast Asia and the South Seas Islands by Therese Volpe Laursen