Spicy Mango Dipping Sauce with Dried Shrimp

Thai spicy mango dipping sauce with dried shrimp is a popular snack used for dipping crispy and starchy fruits like crispy mangos, guava, and sour green apples. With each bite full of sweet, salty, and spicy taste, this mouthwatering snack is guaranteed to make you drool with happiness.

For the more sweet, salty, and slightly tangy fruit salad, try this Thai green mango salad with cashew. And also this popular Thai pomelo fruit salad. Both are made with fruit and delightfully delicious!

This recipe uses dried shrimp for the added meaty texture and umami flavors. That's what makes this sauce completely irritable after one bite! The spiciness of the sauce is completely adjustable so you can be at any level you desire with this quick and simple recipe!

Why this Recipe Work?

• It’s super simple and fast to put together. Less than 10 minutes of prepping time and then just around five minutes of cooking time. That’s it!
• The sauce keeps very well for the next 4-5 days. Guarantee, it won’t be around that long after you taste the first bite! In fact, the sauce tastes better after it’s been sitting for a day or two. The flavors just keep getting more and more delicious for some reason.
• You can use any starchy fruit of choice throughout the year! You can use mangoes, pears, peaches, apples, jicama, or any starchy fruit of your choice. Just make sure the fruits are very firm and not ripe.

Ingredients to Make Spicy Mango Dipping Sauce with Dried Shrimp

Notes on Ingredients for Spicy Mango Dipping Sauce with Dried Shrimp

• Fish Sauce. I used the Squid brand for my recipe but you can use any brand you have available to you. Some brands are saltier than others, so best to use a little less than the recipe calls for and then add more towards to end if you need more salt.
• Dried shrimp. Dried shrimp comes in small, medium, or large sizes. I prefer the medium or large size for more umami and meatiness. You can find them in the refrigerated section of most Asian markets.
• Chili flakes. Chili flakes are also labeled chili powder. You can find the larger flakey peppers or the super fine powder. I use the larger flakes for more texture and less concentration of spiciness. 
• Water. Add about 1 tablespoon of water to help balance all the flavors together. Add more if necessary especially if your sauce is too dry, salty, or sweet. Adjust as you see fit!

• Palm sugar: Palm sugar comes in many forms as well. They come either in a pack of multiple small pugs, large circular ones, soft melted ones in plastic tubs, or some softer form in a plastic bag. My favorite is the plastic tubs, easier and cleaner to use. If you use the pugs, you will need to shave down the sugar before cooking. See the picture below. 

How to Make Mango Chili Dipping Sauce? 

1. On medium-low heat, heat a small saucepan and add fish sauce, water, and palm sugar. Stir together with a whisk.
2. After the sugar dissolves, add the dried shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes until the shrimp is slightly soft
3. Add the shallot, and chili flakes, and whisk together often until the shallot is soft and caramelized for about 2 minutes.
4. Add additional fresh chilis if desired for EXTRA spiciness. This is completely optional.
5. Turn off the heat, remove the sauce to a bowl and let cool completely before serving.
6. While the sauce is cooling, prepare your fruit to use for dipping. Cut the fruit of choice to the size and shape of a spoon to use as dipping pieces for the sauce.

FAQS 

• The best fruits for dipping sauce are crispy and starchy with a semi-sweet and sour taste for this spicy chili dip. Typically, young green mangoes are eaten with this sauce, but they are hard to find in the US and Asian markets. You can use regular mangoes, but make sure they are not ripe yet. Find the firmest and green mangoes if possible. Green apples, green pears, firm and crispy peach, jicama, and guava are great for dipping too.
• The sauce will have a distinctive smell from the fish sauce and dried shrimp. This may take you by surprise, but know that it’s completely normal and it will go away as soon as you cook the next meal. With strong flavors comes also a strong aroma, but the taste is worth it, I promise!
• Palm sugar: Palm sugar comes in many different forms, the best ones are the melted kind in a plastic tub but the ones in puck forms are the next best ones. If palm sugar is not available to you, use brown sugar, you may need to add a little extra fish sauce if using brown sugar since it is sweeter. Taste the sauce at the end to adjust according to your liking.
• Chili flakes: This sauce is typically VERY VERY spicy, but this recipe is easily adaptable if you are not a fan of too much spiciness. You can easily add more towards the end if needed.

Other Thai Recipes You'll Love 

• Thai chili dipping sauce
• Thai green mango salad with cashew
• Nam Jim Jaeow
• Toasted Rice power
• Thai Shrimp cake with sweet chili sauce

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spicy mango dipping sauce with dried shrimp

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• Author: Suwanee
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 1 cup 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Thai spicy mango dipping sauce with dried shrimp is a popular snack used for dipping crispy and starchy fruits like crispy mangos, guava, and sour green apples. With each bite full of sweet, salty, and spicy taste, this mouthwatering snack is guaranteed to make you drool with happiness.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• ⅓ cup shallot, chopped small
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce, some brands are saltier than others, adjust as needed towards the end with more if necessary
• 2 Tbsp water
• ½ cup palm sugar, roughly shaved to thin layers
• 1-3 tablespoon ground chili flakes (I used 1 ½ Tbsp) the more you add the spicier it is!
• 3-5 fresh Thai chilis, chopped into small pieces (Completely optional)

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Instructions

1. On medium-low heat, heat a small saucepan add fish sauce, water, and palm sugar. Stir together with a whisk.
2. After the sugar dissolves, add the dried shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes until the shrimp is slightly soft
3. Add the shallot, chili flakes, and whisk together often until the shallot is soft and caramelized for about 2 minutes.
4. Add additional fresh chilis if desired for EXTRA spiciness. This is completely optional.
5. Turn off the heat, remove the sauce to a bowl and let cool completely before serving.
6. While the sauce is cooling, prepare your fruit to use for dipping. Cut the fruit of choice to the size and shape of a spoon to use as dipping pieces for the sauce.

• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 5
• Category: Snacks. Sauces
• Method: Stove top
• Cuisine: Thai

Keywords: spicy mango dipping sauce. Sweet spicy chili dipping sauce. Mango dipping sauce recipe