Vietnamese dishesSauces and DipsNationwide45 minutes
Sa te comes together in a single pan of oil, but the order the ingredients go in is what decides the aroma. A good jar is deep red and smells of lemongrass and fried garlic, and the solids sit suspended in the oil rather than sinking.
The hardest part is the heat, because one scorched corner of the pan taints the whole jar. Garlic goes in first, then shallots, then lemongrass, and chili last, because everything added at once leaves some pieces cooked and others burnt. Keep stirring so the mixture never sticks to the base.
This batch weighs about 1.8kg, at roughly 444 calories per 100g.
Method
Heat 100ml cooking oil and add 1.5 tablespoons annatto seeds once it is hot. When the oil turns deep red, strain it, discard the seeds and keep the colored oil.
Wash 300g lemongrass, 250g chili, 200g garlic and 150g shallot, then blend to the texture preferred.
Set a pan over the heat and bring the remaining 700ml cooking oil to a boil.
Add the garlic and stir until lightly golden, then add the shallot.
Once the garlic and shallot start to dry out and turn golden, add the lemongrass.
Add the chili last and stir until the mixture turns red and the chili begins to dry.
Add 3 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1.5 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon MSG and the annatto oil, stir for another 5 minutes and it is done.
Tips
Keep stirring throughout so the mixture never sticks to the base, as one scorched patch taints the whole jar.
For less heat, mix bird's eye chili with horn chili and cut back on the bird's eye chili.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so add it near the end and stir a few more minutes until no grains can be felt on the spoon.
A spoonful of reduced fresh coconut water deepens the color.
The lemongrass and garlic must be completely dry before blending, since any water makes the oil spit and shortens the keeping time.
Pour into a dry glass jar and always keep a layer of oil covering the solids, which lets it keep well in the refrigerator.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.