Thai Vinaigrette
A Thai-style vinaigrette: fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, garlic and chilli whisked together.
Overview
Thai vinaigrette sits at the intersection of acid, umami, and fragrance. Lemongrass infuses the dressing with its distinctive citrusy, grassy notes. Fish sauce provides the umami depth that defines Thai seasoning. Fresh coriander and chives contribute herbaceous brightness at the very end. This dressing is best prepared several hours ahead to allow flavors to marry fully; the lemongrass requires time to infuse gently into the rice vinegar and oil.
Ingredients
Lemongrass & Vinegar Base
- 4 centimeters lemongrass stalk (white and pale green parts)
- 75 milliliters rice wine vinegar
Oils & Umami
- 200 milliliters sunflower oil
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Fresh Herbs
- 15 grams fresh coriander leaf (approximately 2 tablespoons, finely shredded)
- 10 grams fresh chives (approximately 1 tablespoon, finely snipped)
Seasonings
- Fresh lime juice (1 teaspoon, added just before service)
- salt
- pepper
Method
Stage 1 - Prepare & Slice Lemongrass
- Take a 4-centimeter piece of lemongrass stalk.
- Remove any dry or damaged outer layers.
- Slice very thinly (approximately ⅛-inch thickness) across the grain.
- You should have approximately 1 tablespoon of finely sliced lemongrass.
Stage 2 - Initial Infusion
- Pour 75 milliliters rice wine vinegar into a clean glass bowl.
- Add the sliced lemongrass to the vinegar.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap or parchment paper.
- Let rest at room temperature for a minimum of 2 hours (preferably 4-6 hours, or overnight).
- This infusion time allows the lemongrass's distinctive flavor to fully permeate the vinegar.
- The vinegar will turn slightly yellow and develop pronounced lemongrass aromatics.
Stage 3 - Combine with Oil & Fish Sauce
- Into a clean bowl, pour the lemongrass-infused vinegar (including the slices; they will not be strained out).
- Add 200 milliliters sunflower oil.
- While whisking constantly and vigorously, begin to incorporate the oil.
- Add 2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla) while continuing to whisk.
- Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce; whisk continuously.
- The mixture will be assertive, savory, and aromatic at this point.
Stage 4 - Add Fresh Herbs & Finish
- Add 15 grams fresh coriander leaf (finely shredded); whisk gently to combine.
- Add 10 grams fresh chives (finely snipped); whisk once more.
- Just before serving, add 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice (not bottled).
- Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- The dressing should taste bright, assertive, and complex with multiple layered flavors.
Notes
- Lemongrass Selection: Use the white and pale green parts only; the darker green is tough and becomes stringy.
- Lemongrass Slicing: Slice very thin to maximize surface area for infusion; thick cuts won't fully infuse.
- Two-Hour Minimum: Do not skip or rush the infusion period; it's essential for full flavor development.
- Fish Sauce Quality: Use authentic Thai nam pla; Vietnamese nuoc mam and other substitutes alter the intended flavor profile significantly.
- Fresh Herbs Essential: Both coriander and chives must be fresh and added shortly before serving; dried versions are entirely inadequate.
- Lime Juice Fresh: Only fresh lime juice works; bottled versions create a thin, flat result.
Variations
More Assertive Fish Flavor: Increase fish sauce to 3 tablespoons for deeper umami (ideal for noodle soups and braising). Lighter Version: Reduce oil to 150 milliliters and increase vinegar to 100 milliliters (for tender greens). With Galangal: Add ½ teaspoon minced galangal (Asian ginger root variant) alongside the lemongrass. Extra Heat: Add ½-1 Thai red chilli, minced, with seeds if desired for additional spice. With Mint: Add 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves alongside the coriander (Vietnamese approach).
Serving
Use with: Rice noodle salads, grilled chicken or shellfish, spring roll dipping sauce, tender lettuce wraps, papaya salad, warm vegetable preparations Dressing ratio: 2-3 tablespoons per serving (this is intensely flavored and assertive) Temperature: Room temperature Application: Dress salads immediately before serving; excess soaking time wilts delicate greens and dissipates fresh herb character
Storage
- The lemongrass-infused vinegar base can be prepared 1-2 days ahead and refrigerated in a sealed jar.
- Combine with oil and fish sauce up to 3 hours before service.
- Fresh herbs must be added within 30 minutes of serving for maximum aromatic effect.
- The complete dressing will keep refrigerated for 1-2 days but deteriorates in flavor quality significantly after 24 hours.
- Do not freeze; oils become cloudy, fish sauce flavor becomes unpleasant, and fresh herb character is lost entirely.
- Best consumed within 2 hours of final preparation (after herbs are added) for maximum freshness and aroma.
This aromatic Southeast Asian dressing combines lemongrass, fresh coriander, and traditional fish sauce with light rice wine vinegar. Perfect for noodle salads, vegetable preparations, or as a dipping sauce for spring rolls and grilled meats.
More like this
Prawn and Pork Pad Thai
This classic Thai dish of noodles is both aromatic and lightly spicy, serving well as either a main course or a starter. Pad Thai combines stir-fried rice noodles with tender chicken, pork, and prawns in a balanced sauce of curry paste, oyster sauce, and fish sauce. Fresh herbs, crushed peanuts, and a squeeze of lime complete this iconic Thai street food favourite.
Ensaladang Talong (Grilled Eggplant Salad)
Long Asian aubergines char directly over a gas flame or hot grill until blackened all over and totally soft inside (poke through to test, no resistance). Cool for 10 minutes; peel away the charred skin (it slips off if cooked enough). Tear the flesh into 5 cm strips. Dress with diced tomato, thin-sliced red onion, fish sauce, white-cane vinegar and calamansi juice. Rest for 5 minutes to let the eggplant absorb the dressing. Serve room temperature.
Gai Yang
Gai yang ("grilled chicken") is one of the cornerstones of Isaan cooking, the cuisine of north-eastern Thailand that has spread across the whole country and into Thai restaurants worldwide. The defining flavour is coriander root, an ingredient barely used in Western cooking but central to Thai marinades. Pounded in a granite mortar with garlic, white peppercorns and a pinch of salt, it forms an aromatic paste that's then mixed with fish sauce, oyster sauce and a touch of sugar. The chicken is butterflied (spatchcocked) so it lies flat on the grill, marinated for at least 4 hours, then cooked slowly over moderate charcoal. The proper Isaan technique is patient: 30 minutes or more, turning often, sometimes pressed flat between two bamboo splints, so the skin slowly crisps and the meat takes on smoke without burning. The flavour is savoury-funky from fish sauce, peppery-warm from white pepper, deeply garlic-and-herb from the paste, with no chilli in the marinade itself; heat comes from the dipping sauce. Difficulty is low for the home cook: a good mortar or a small food processor makes the paste in 2 minutes, butterflying a chicken is a single cut down the backbone, and any covered grill or kettle does the cooking. Eaten by hand with balls of sticky rice and dipped into nam jim jaew, the toasted-rice-and-tamarind dipping sauce.
Go Bo Hoi an
Go Bo Hoi An is a piquant Vietnamese beef salad featuring thinly sliced seared beef tossed with crisp vegetables, fresh herbs, and a bright tamarind-lime dressing. This dish has delicate undertones of lime and garlic which carry through the tamarind flavours perfectly. The combination of tender beef, crunchy vegetables, aromatic herbs, and crispy rice papers creates a textural and flavourful celebration of Vietnamese cuisine. Quick to make but requires advance preparation, ensure the salad, dressing, and toppings are made and ready to use before cooking the beef.