Green Chili Sauce for Seafood (Muối Ớt Xanh) is a beloved dipping sauce from my hometown, Nha Trang. It’s now popular all over Vietnam and even abroad.
This sauce is slightly sweet and tangy, with the fragrant aroma of lime leaves, making it a refreshing companion for all kinds of seafood.
Here’s your recipe for Vietnamese Green Chili Sauce with two versions: the original Nha Trang style without condensed milk and the more popular version outside Nha Trang with condensed milk.
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Muối Ớt Xanh: The Special Dipping Sauce from My Hometown, Nha Trang
Muối Ớt Xanh is a staple at every seafood restaurant, snail restaurant (quán ốc), and Vietnamese-style food bar (quán nhậu) in Nha Trang.
The green color of this dipping sauce makes it look quite similar to Thai seafood dipping sauce (Nam Jim Talay), which also uses Thai green chili as its base.
I remember when I was a bachelor student in Saigon, this dipping sauce was still just popular in Nha Trang. But now, thanks to the internet, it has become a staple in seafood restaurants from the North to the South of Vietnam.
Fishermen in the area first created this sauce to enjoy with their freshly steamed seafood while out fishing. Initially, they made it by simply crushing Thai green chilis with salt, sugar, and MSG, then adding a squeeze of lime juice to balance the flavors.
Over time, many variations have emerged: some people mix it with green bell peppers to reduce the spiciness, others add mustard greens or wasabi for a more pungent flavor, and some use condensed milk to make it richer.
Condensed milk is an intriguing ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine.
Initially, we used it in drinks and desserts like Vietnamese flan, avocado smoothie, yogurt, and coffee (iced coffee and egg coffee).
Over time, we began incorporating it into marinades for grilled meats, such as in Bún Thịt Nướng, and even in dipping sauces like this green chili sauce.
Besides green chili sauce, we also have red chili sauce (muối ớt đỏ), lime pepper salt (muối tiêu chanh), and ginger fish sauce (nước mắm gừng), all of which are great with seafood.
Ingredients
The ingredients for Vietnamese green chili sauce are quite simple. You only need:
- Green chilis: Thai green bird’s eye chili is traditional, but you can adjust the spiciness by combining different types of green chilis:
- Very spicy: Thai green bird’s eye chilies
- Medium spicy: Korean green chilies, jalapeno
- Non-spicy (mainly for color): green paprika (bell pepper)
- Salt
- Sugar
- Lime juice
- Lime leaves (or Kaffir leaves): optional
- Condensed milk (optional): not needed for the original version
- MSG: optional, but adding just a bit can make a difference.
Instructions
- De-seed the green chilis.
- Cut the lime in half and juice it.
- Remove the stems from the lime leaves.
- Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Let the sauce rest for about an hour to allow the flavors to meld well.
Variations
- You can add some wasabi or mustard greens to create a slightly different flavor.
- You can skip the condensed milk to make a vegan version, which is also excellent for dipping steamed vegetables.
Helpful Tips
- Use fresh lime—no lime concentrate or bottled juice, please!!
- My recipe tends to pack some heat. To tone it down, experiment with a mixture of 1/3 Thai chilies, 1/3 Korean green chilies, and 1/3 green bell peppers. Feel free to adjust both the ratio and quantity of chilies to suit your taste.
- Similarly, tailor the ratio of sugar to salt to suit your taste.
- The sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks.
More Vietnamese staple sauces
Vietnamese Green Chili Sauce for Seafood (Muối Ớt Xanh)
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g). If you would like to add condensed milk, substitute it with ⅜ cup of sugar (75g) + ¼ cup of condensed milk (80g).
- ⅓ cup fine salt (50g) (to your taste)
- 1 tsp MSG (optional but highly recommend)
- 1 lime leaf
- ⅔ cup lime juice (160ml) (to your taste)
- ½ oz Thai green chilies (7g) (to your taste)
- 2½ oz Korean green chilies (35g) (green peppers, jalapeno…) (to your taste)
Instructions
- Remove the seeds from the green chilis.
- Slice the lime in half and squeeze to extract its juice.
- Detach the stems from the lime leaves.
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Allow the sauce to rest for about an hour to let the flavors harmonize.
Notes
- Use fresh lime juice—avoid lime concentrate or bottled juice.
- My recipe tends to be on the spicier side. To reduce the heat, try a blend of 1/3 Thai chilies, 1/3 Korean green chilies, and 1/3 green bell peppers. Adjust both the ratio and amount of chilies according to your preference.
- Similarly, adjust the ratio of sugar to salt to taste, as the levels of saltiness and sweetness may vary.
- Store the sauce in the fridge for up to two weeks.
