A bright, spicy sauce made with charred green onions, Fresno and habanero chiles, garlic, lime and fish sauce. Grilling the vegetables adds smoky depth, while palm sugar balances the heat and acidity.
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| Steak Sauce |
Yield: About 1 cup
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch green onions, green ends trimmed as needed
- 1 Fresno chile
- 1 habanero chile
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar or granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Cooking oil, as needed
- Kosher salt, as needed
Instructions:
- Prepare a grill for direct high-heat cooking.
- Lightly coat the green onions, Fresno chile, habanero and garlic cloves with cooking oil and season with kosher salt.
- Place the vegetables in a perforated grill pan and set over the direct heat.
- Grill for 1–2 minutes, turning as necessary, until the vegetables are nicely charred. Remove from the grill.
- When cool enough to handle, remove the seeds from the Fresno and habanero chiles. Finely mince the chiles together and set aside.
- Cut the charred green onions into bite-size pieces and reserve.
- Place the charred garlic and sugar in a mortar. Using the pestle, pound until a fine paste forms.
- Add the fish sauce and lime juice and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the minced chiles, cilantro and charred green onions. Stir thoroughly to combine.
- Taste and adjust with additional lime juice, fish sauce or salt as desired. Serve at room temperature.
Tip: Habaneros can be extremely hot. Removing the seeds reduces some of the heat, but much of the capsaicin is concentrated in the pale inner ribs. Remove those as well for a milder sauce, and consider wearing gloves when handling the chile.
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