Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
Our recipe for the totally addictive sweet Thai Chili Sauce that is perfect for dipping grilled meats, spring rolls (fried or fresh), dumplings, potstickers, fried wontons, crab rangoon. You name it, we've probably dipped it in this sauce! Makes 2 cups Can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.
Servings: 8
Cost: $3.00
Equipment
- Food Processor or Blender
- Saucepan
Ingredients
For Sauce:
- 5 Red Jalapeno Peppers (see note about spice)
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Rice Vinegar
- 3/4 cup Water
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
For Thickener (optional):
- 2 Tablespoons Hot Water
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
Instructions
- Slice peppers in half. Remove seeds and veins to your liking (see note below).
- In the bowl of a food processor or blender combine peppers, garlic, sugar, vinegar, water and salt. Blend until only very small flecks of the peppers remain.
- Transfer to a saucepan and simmer over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved, 4 to 5 minutes. (Make sure you stir the sauce frequently as it cooks - it's prone to bubble over.)
- To Thicken: Whisk together 2 Tablespoons hot water and 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch and add it to the sauce. Simmer for a couple minutes longer, until the sauce is thickened to your liking. (You can also skip the addition of the cornstarch and just simmer the sauce down until it reduces by about half which takes 15 to 20 minutes. I think the flavor is more "clean" this way, but it yields a more watery sauce. The cornstarch addition is definitely the fastest and easiest way to go.)
Notes
The spice in jalapeños can vary, but almost all of the spice is in the seeds and veins, so you can remove those to limit the heat. If you want a kid-friendly sauce with no spice at all, remove all the seeds and veins. You can even use red bell peppers to make the sauce (zero spice). This is a great way to go if you want to make a portion of the sauce without spice and some with. Add red pepper flakes to taste to the portion of the spice you want to be spicy.
Feel free to halve this recipe or double (or triple!) it. It keeps for 3-4 weeks in the fridge, but never lasts that long at our house.
Nutrition
Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 83IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg