Viet Table Hot Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Viet fish sauce
1/4 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1/8 cup water
1 tbsp grated carrot
1 tsp chile paste such as Sriracha brand - more to taste
1 tsp sugar or honey - more to taste
PROCEDURE
Mix it all together an hour or two before serving.  Pass at table chilled 
or at room temperature.
Thai Table Hot Sauce (Nam Prik)
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Thai fish sauce (Squid Brand is good)
1/8 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar (optional)
1/8 cup water
6 Thai "bird" chiles or 2 serranos - more to taste 
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp sugar or honey - more to taste
PROCEDURE:
        An hour or two before you plan to serve the sauce, thinly slice 
the chiles and mix them in with the other stuff.  Serve chilled or at 
room temp.
        Note:  finely minced ginger and/or garlic can be added to either 
of these with good results, but I like the simple versions because you 
can taste each element, as well as the harmony of the whole.  Another 
note:  I'm not sure there's any, or much, difference between Viet and 
Thai fish sauces.  I pretty much stick with the Squid Brand, since that's 
what I have a huge bottle of.  Our first bottle lasted years, but this 
one's going down faster.
        There are as many versions of these sauces as there are cooks of
these cuisines.  You have to play with either one a bit to get it just the
way YOU like it.  Viet versions usually include grated carrot, skip the
lime juice, and are "heated" with commercial Viet chile paste.  Thai
versions usually skip the carrots, and use fresh bird chiles instead of
paste.  Here are a couple of starting points: 
Will 
From the Chile-Heads Recipe Collection
URL: http://chile.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu:8000/www/recipe.html
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     Title: Basic Balti Sauce
Categories: Indian, Sauces, Balti
  Servings:  4
 
      3 T  Vegetable oil
      4    Onions, chopped
           Small piece of ginger,
           Peeled and grated
      1    Large garlic clove, crushed
      1    Tomato, chopped
      1 T  Paprika
    1/2 t  Turmeric
    1/2 t  Cumin (ground)
    1/2 t  Ground coriander
      1 t  Chilli powder
           Fresh chopped coriander
           (a handful)
           Salt to taste
 
  Heat the oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat. Fry the onions,
  ginger and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add the tomato and
  stir-fry, breaking it up with the spoon. Pour in 300 ml/1/2 UK pint
  water, and stir in the other ingredients. Bring to the boil. Lower heat,
  cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  Pour into a blender or food processor and liquidize.
  
  (Note: this is only one formula of thousands possible. There's no more
  a single recipe for Balti sauce than there's a single recipe for chilli.
  Some cooks like more garlic, some more chilli powder; some use fresh
  chiles as well: some add yogurt, coconut, cream...you name it.)
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ENJOY!!!
Something's cooking in Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen!!!
... There is always hope when people are forced to listen to both sides.
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