Chili-salt, a fruit booster

Three simple ingredients that do amazing things to fruits: fresh chili, salt, and sugar, simply mixed together.  If you've been to Thailand, I'm sure you've seen this trilogy before.  You get them in little paper packets with every piece of fruit you buy off one of those carts on the street.

They are wonderful on sweet fruits, adding an interesting layer of flavors that take it beyond simple sweetness.  They are even better on fruits that are slightly acidic--the salt and sugar taming the acidity and the chili giving it a kick that make everything even better.  It's so easy, and so crazy good.  You simply must try it.

Thai Chili-Salt, Prik-kab-klua

2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
1-2 fresh red chili

Put all the ingredients in a small mortar and grind everything together.  The red chili will tint the entire mixture a lovely shade of light pinkish orange, and the moisture from it will turn everything the texture of wet sand.  Serve along side fresh fruits cut into bite size pieces (so no one double dips on you!)

Try it with tart green apple, or with crunchy green mango.  It even works well to revive those not so sweet mangoes you get from the grocery stores.  Toss a bit into a bowl of early-season tart berries.  Even dip a juicy chunk of perfectly sweet watermelon into it for just a little change of scenery.

Comments

[Tommy]

What are you still doing up, young lady? (I have an excuse: I work nights) I'll have to give this one a try. Is that pineapple in the first photo? I'll bet it'd be good with mango as well...

[claudia (cook eat FRET)]

i love this idea
thank you

i've done the salt thing - great on oranges
but never thought to add the sugar and chili

this could become a staple around here

[oakley]

I suddenly have a craving for green mango...

[michelle @ TNS]

i want a bowl of this and a whole, fresh pineapple for lunch. i would be o so happy.

[monkey]

There's a version of this in Mexican cooking as well. But I think they omit the sugar, using just chili powder and salt.

[monkey]

I just remembered – sometimes fresh lime replaces the sugar.

[Adam]

Can you make bigger batches of this and store the salt? I assume you can but maybe you have to dry the mixture out first? Thoughts/advice appreciated, thanks!

[La foodie]

avec de la mangue verte, miam ! Dans le meme esprit à la Réunion aussi, mais sans le sucre. Je n'avais jamais pensé à le piler au mortier, voila pourquoi je ne retrouvais pas le gout !

[alex]

Half a ripe mango tossed in sweet soy (kichap manis) & a judicious sprinkle, read a ton of this on it & oh my God,......

[Su-Lin]

Oh! I thought it was always chili powder, not fresh chili!

[Brigid]

Ooh, I miss this, and fruit vendors in Thailand. Would you be able to answer a quick Thai fruit question? I'm not sure about the name of one of my favorite fruits that I tried while I was living in Bangkok. It was about the size and shape of a guava, but wasn't cut up into individual slices--it came hacked, but still whole. The flesh was semi-crunchy and intensely bitter, but the core of the fruit was the sweetest, creamiest custard. "Custard apple" sounds about right, but since I bought it off the street, I was never sure what it looked like with skin.

[Aaron Kagan]

I find the idea of sugar on fruit a bit like cheating, but I do love to eat almost any fruit with a shaker of powdered ginger on hand. Especially tropicals like mango and papaya.

And on the other end of the spectrum, a squeeze of lime does wonders for those mangoes that are too sweet.

www.teaandfood.blogspot.com

[elarael]

Amazing, I just sat down to look at the blogs, and yours first, with a big bowl of freshly cut pineapple! So I just tried it, but had to use cayenne powder because I don't have any chili's on hand. Very interesting! I think it would be great at a party. I'll try again with fresh chili for the next pineapple. Thanks!

[Daryn]

Another variation is fish sauce instead of salt; especially with slices of green mango or green papaya, but also nice with ripe fruit (especially pineapple)

[Chee]

Ah - It just brings me childhood memories. During the season my grandma works on a strawberry batch, with every visit she comes with buckets full. My mom would usually slice them into quarters and put the same ingredients you noted together - makes a good dessert. However mama also add on unhealthy MSG to top it off.

[nan]

I just discovered your blog and I'm so glad - it's great fun! Thanks! Nan

[Truc]

You should also try eating green mangoes with fish sauce mixed with sugar and chillies. Yummo !

[Niamh]

Oh lovely! I'll have to try this.

[Ann]

I just read about this somewhere else as well, so now I'm doubly intrigued to try it. Just not sure on what, but it look delicious!

['Pong]

Brings back the memory. It's mouth watering.

[Krista]

What a great idea! I'm not a huge fruit eater--I always think of it as breakfast food--but this livens it up a bit as a midday snack!

[--Lisa]

We use a latin american spice mix called Tajin on fruit. It is basically kosher salt, chile pepper and lime zest. I've told myself I will make my own next time I run out but we will see!

[--Lisa]

We use a latin american spice mix called Tajin on fruit. It is basically kosher salt, chile pepper and lime zest. I've told myself I will make my own next time I run out but we will see!

[Ann]

I agree about the mango and fish sauce comment ...amazing stuff. Fish sauce should be thickened with white sugar until it reaches a syrup like consistency and fresh chilis should be chopped into the mix. Add a nice, un-ripe mango, and you've got all the best flavors going on...salty, sweet, spicy, and super sour! Umami overload.

[kayenne]

is that fine salt or coarse salt? i love fruits with sour plum powder... learned that trick in singapore. but i do sometimes eat green mangoes with spicy-soy-vinegar dip that's sold on street corners when i visit my aunt in the mountain province. here in manila. it's fermented shrimp past - salty or spicy.

[kayenne]

is that fine salt or coarse salt? i love fruits with sour plum powder... learned that trick in singapore. but i do sometimes eat green mangoes with spicy-soy-vinegar dip that's sold on street corners when i visit my aunt in the mountain province. here in manila. it's fermented shrimp paste - salty or spicy.

[foureight84]

you should try a blend of fish sauce and sugar. it's roughly a 2 to 1 ratio. or just add the sugar until you get a syrupy consistency. a great sauce with green unripened mangoes.

[James in Beijing]

I just left Bangkok after a wonderful few days, and one of the highlights was fruit (unripe mango) dipped in a spicy-sweet chili mix that I bought at the Tha Tien ferry terminal market near the Grand Palace. Is this recipe going to produce that spice paste? If not, do you know a recipe for it, or the name so I can do my own search so I can make it!?