Forget sriracha! My condiment of choice is Thai sweet chile sauce. I dip my fries in it, put it on fried chicken, maybe a drizzle a bit in a bowl of wonton soup. It must be that satisfying combination of sweetness, followed closely by heat that tantalizes my tastebuds so.
Recently I harvested a bunch of Serrano and Jalapeno chile peppers from my little organic garden. I love spicy foods, but my six year old’s spice palate has yet to develop. I gave some to my neighbor for use in an upcoming dinner party, but I had a good amount of chiles left. I decided to try making my favorite condiment.
And it was so stinking easy!
I not only like the heat from chiles, but the flavor. Each chile pepper has its own personality, so I decided to slice the chiles instead of chopping them. This allows for a distinct chile pop of flavor when you bite into a slice. The little chunks of garlic lend their own deep flavor to the mix.
If you do not want your sauce too hot, seed the chiles and remove the veins before chopping.
This sauce will keep for a month or more in your refrigerator. But I bet it won’t last that long.
Recipe: Thai Sweet Chile Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sliced hot chile peppers
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup raw sugar
- 3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, stir together chile peppers, garlic, sugar, vinegar, water and fish sauce.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
- Cook the sauce for about 7-10 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened and the chiles and garlic have softened.
- In a small bowl mix the cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry.
- Slowly stir in the slurry until it is completely incorporated.
- Simmer the sauce for another minute or two, then remove from the heat.
- Let the sauce cool before storing it in a clean glass jar or bottle.
Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)
Copyright © Cheryl D Lee.
Cheryl,
It always happens to me that hot peppers arrive fast and furious and I never can keep up with them in my farm share. I’ve tried hot pepper jelly and pickled hot peppers, and I’ll add this to my repertoire.
It’s funny–in my own garden last summer I planted banana peppers hoping for the same overwhelming bounty. I like pickled banana peppers more than pickled hot and spicy peppers. And the plants each produced a few peppers, but never in enough quantities to can. The garden bed has its blanket of snow drawn up these days, so I remain hopeful for next year.
Thank you.
I am so making this! Looks delish!