Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce
Shop bought sweet chilli sauce is mostly sugar and thickener, which is a shame when the homemade version takes about fifteen minutes and tastes of actual chilli. This makes a small jar, enough to last a couple of weeks in the fridge, and it costs almost nothing to put together.
We spent a while travelling in Thailand and ate curry roughly three times a day, so anything with this sort of sweet and hot balance is comfort food in our house now. The garlic and ginger are what stop it being one dimensional. Without them it is just sweet.
The consistency is the only fiddly part. It thickens a lot as it cools, so pull it off the heat while it still looks slightly too thin. If you do go too far the other way, a splash of hot water whisked in will bring it straight back.
This goes with almost anything fried, and it is particularly good with my tilapia fish sticks. Keep it in a sterilised jar in the fridge and give it a stir before serving. Most of the heat lives in the seeds, so leave them in or take them out depending on who is eating.
Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 8 people
Serving size: 66g
Calories per serving: 88
Fat per serving: 0.1g
Ingredients
- 6 red chillies, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 150g caster sugar
- 120ml rice wine vinegar
- 120ml water
- 1 tbsp corn flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
Method
- Put the chillies, garlic and ginger into a small saucepan with the caster sugar, rice wine vinegar, water and salt. Give it one stir and set it over a medium heat.
- Bring the pan up to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sugar has dissolved completely and the chillies have softened right down.
- Mix the corn flour with a tablespoon of cold water in a cup until you have a smooth, milky paste with no lumps in it at all.
- Pour the corn flour mixture into the pan while whisking, then simmer for another 2 minutes until the sauce thickens and turns glossy.
- Take the pan off the heat while the sauce still looks slightly thinner than you want it, because it will thicken a good deal more as it cools.
- Pour into a sterilised jar and leave it to cool completely before putting the lid on. It keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks.
