Vietnamese chile lemongrass sate, or tương ớt sa tế is a spicy chile oil that will elevate any dish. This bold sauce gets its flavor from plenty of garlic and fragrant lemongrass. You can add it to marinades for any meat, spice up stir fries, soups and noodles. I even put it on my eggs. Two sunny side up eggs with soy sauce and chile lemongrass sate? That's a good start to the day.
Tương ớt sa tế is also the finishing ingredient in bún bò Huế , or spicy Vietnamese beef noodle soup. The broth is flavored with lemongrass already, so the chile lemongrass sate adds an extra burst of color and flavor. Seriously. This sauce does everything.
Get my recipe for Bún bò Huế here!
Vietnamese Chile Lemongrass Sate Sauce (Tương Ớt Sa Tế): Step-by-step instructions
There's only four ingredients in this Vietnamese chile lemongrass sate. I use both fresh Thai chiles and red chile flakes. For the best results, buy fresh stalks of lemongrass and fresh thai chiles, then pulse them in a food processor until they're uniformly ground.
I don't have a food processor strong enough to grind lemongrass, so I bought it frozen. The end product will be slightly less fragrant, but there's less cleanup!
Start with a cup of neutral oil, like canola, and heat it on medium low in a small saucepan. When the oil comes to temperature (you can stick a chopstick into it and see bubbles forming, or drop a tiny bit of lemongrass in to see if it bubbles), put your lemongrass in. You're trying to infuse the oils with the lemongrass flavor without burning it, so make sure to keep the heat medium low. After about 5 minutes, add garlic and continue to heat for another 10 minutes.
Next, add the fresh chile. Use any hot red chile you want. I used Thai, or birds eye chile peppers. These were also pre-chopped and frozen, but again, if you're feeling dedicated, using fresh ingredients that you chop yourself will give the best results.
After about 10 more minutes, when the fresh chiles have lost their sharp, raw chile smell and the oil has been colored red, add the chile flakes. Continue to heat for another 10 minutes, keeping the temperature low. At this stage, be extra careful not to burn the chile flakes, otherwise the tương ớt sa tế will be bitter.
Before cooling and jarring, add about ½ teaspoon of salt to taste. I don't like this too salty, because I will often eat it with soy sauce.
Vietnamese chile lemongrass sate will last about a month in the fridge. If there isn't enough oil in the sauce after you jar it, pour a little bit more on top to create a protective layer of oil that will help the sauce last longer.
Vietnamese Chile Lemongrass Sate Sauce (Tương Ớt Sa Tế)
Ingredients
- 1 cup neutral oil like canola
- 1 head garlic, minced
- ½ cup lemongrass, finely chopped
- ½ cup fresh red chiles, finely chopped Thai or Birds Eye recommended
- ¼ cup chile flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat 1 cup oil on medium low heat
- When oil comes to temperature, add lemongrass and let it heat for about 5 minutes
- Add garlic and continue to heat for about 10 minutes
- Add fresh chiles and stir. Continue to let mixture heat for another 10 minutes, being careful not to burn the ingredients.
- Add chile flakes and heat for another 10 minutes
- Add salt to taste, and cool before jarring
- Add a thin layer of extra oil on top to keep sate fresh longer.
Ana says
Hello, I'm mexican and i've never used lemongrass for anything other than tea. I have a plant at home I wondered if I can use fresh one and also for the birds eye peppers I do have them but they are dried, would that work good as well to do the sauce? Im so excited!
Suzanne Nuyen says
You can use fresh lemongrass, but you need to use the woody stems, and not the grassy parts that grow out the top of your plant. You can sub dried peppers for the fresh. Use half as much as rehydrate them so they don't burn.
fiona says
Thank you so much for this! Your recipe is Delicious! I used coconut oil as I only had it and EVO on hand, but it worked great.
to make a delicious dipping sauce for my salad rolls, I used the juice of half an orange and then added 2 teaspoons of your oil (the solids minus the actual oil).
gracias!
Suzanne Nuyen says
That sounds like a delicious dipping sauce! Thanks for trying my recipe 🙂
shyam says
wow lovely recipes
Debbie says
Suzann,
Can we use olive oil to make this?
Suzanne Nuyen says
Hi Debbie,
Yes, you can use olive oil for this. I would stay away from extra virgin olive oil as it is easy to overheat and burn. Extra virgin also has a pretty strong flavor that might overpower the rest of the ingredients or change when heated. Generally, try to use a neutral flavored oil with a higher smoke point!
Lauren says
How long will this past in the fridge?
Suzanne Nuyen says
This has lasted me up to 6 months in the fridge!
Vanessa says
Making this as we speak! Mine isn’t turning as red as your is. Does it change colour more as it ages? I followed everything to a T!
Suzanne Nuyen says
Hi Vanessa! It will turn redder the longer you cook it. Make sure to keep the temperature low. The longer you cook the redder it will become. I have found that newly bought chili flakes will turn the oil red faster than old chili flakes I’ve had in my pantry for a long time too. You can just keep the temp low and continue cooking low and slow until you get the color you want!
F. Tammy Michelle says
What kind of chili flakes are ised in the recipe?
Suzanne Nuyen says
Hi Tammy!
I use regular crushed red pepper flakes.
Elise says
Absolutely love this recipe. We made pho tonight and I used this in it. We will be keeping it on hand for stirfry and a general condiment to spruce up any dish. Thank you.
Suzanne Nuyen says
Thank you so much for the kind review! So glad you loved it. I put this in everything as well as a general condiment. I like adding it to popcorn!
Sue says
This is so beautiful! i love cooking Vietnamese food, but I'm never happy with the sauces in the little bottles, this will be perfect!
Heidy L. McCallum says
I am so excited I found your wonderful blog this recipe is one example of how wonderful your recipes are. I made this the other day and I was totally thrilled with the taste.
Suzanne Nuyen says
Thanks for trying my recipe! I'm so glad you liked it
Traci says
Oh yeah! This gorgeous condiment is getting a permanent spot in my fridge and it's going on EVERYTHING. Love the flavors and how easy it is. Thanks for sharing!
Suzanne Nuyen says
It definitely has a permanent spot in my fridge too!
Lizzy says
Oh boy - this is amazing. I've always loved having a jar of homemade chili crisp on hand, but I'll have to give this a go! Love the lemongrass
Suzanne Nuyen says
You'll never go back to regular chili crisp after trying this!
David says
great recipe for adding lots of flavor to a dish! I haven't used lemongrass in awhile. Getting it prepped like you did looks like a good time saver.
Suzanne Nuyen says
It packs a powerful punch in any dish!