The Only Salad Dressing I Need!

fish sauce

🥗Healthier: soy sauce

💰Cheaper: salt + water

Soy sauce is easier to find and provides a similar umami flavor.

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Honey adds sweetness with a different flavor profile.

vegetable oil

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: canola oil

Olive oil offers health benefits while canola is more budget-friendly.

lime juice

🥗Healthier: lemon juice

💰Cheaper: vinegar

Lemon juice can substitute for lime in flavor, while vinegar is a cost-effective option.

If making a large amount, put everything into a blender and blend just until there are no big chunks but don't make it silky smooth.

Pound the garlic, chilies, and cilantro stems into a paste using a mortar and pestle.

Add the palm sugar and pound until the sugar has turned into a paste. If using Thai chili paste or shrimp paste, add it now and mix it into the herbs. Add the lime juice and fish sauce and/or pla ra and swirl until well combined.

If using coconut milk, stir it in now.

Combine the finely chopped palm sugar with the lime juice and fish sauce and stir until the sugar has mostly dissolved; set aside.

Grate the garlic with a microplane or use a garlic press to make a paste and add to a small mixing bowl. Mince the chilies and cilantro stems as finely as possible, then add to the garlic. If using chili paste or shrimp paste, add to the garlic mixture and stir to mix.

Back to the fish sauce mixture, smash any undissolved lumps of palm sugar with the back of a spoon. Once dissolved, add to the garlic mixture and stir to combine. If using chili paste, add just a splash of the liquid seasoning first to dissolve it before adding the rest.

If using coconut milk or plara, stir it in at the end.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens