Sweet Chilli Sauce

I still remember the first time I tasted this condiment; it was joy to my mouth. But as much as I would love to buy it, I’ve noticed somewhat of a shortage in our local supermarkets. So, I decided that I must find a tasty, easy to do recipe that would fulfil this need. I must say that I am extremely happy with this find and if you like sweet chilli sauce, then I know you will be too. For those who have never tried this, I will give a quick description. This sauce, as the name says, is sweet and flavourful, with a moderate kick. It goes great with almost anything. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Enjoy!

You will need:

2 tbsp minced fresh garlic

3 red chilli peppers (or 2 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper)

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp cornstarch

4 tbsp water

Method:

If you are using fresh peppers, then start by chopping them up in a small food processor or blender. If you want it to be spicy, then leave the seeds in; if not, then deseed them. Put chopped chilli peppers or red chilli pepper flakes, garlic, and all the rest of the ingredients into a saucepan. Heat on medium until the mixture boils. Turn sauce down to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes. Combine cornstarch and 4 tbsp water in a small bowl and mix well. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the chilli sauce and continue simmering for a few minutes. The sauce will thicken quite quickly. As it becomes transparent, remove from heat and store in glass canning jars. Store sauce in refrigerator.

Tip: I think 1 tbsp garlic would do the trick as well. Feel free to try it with our local red hot peppers, but you may have to double the pepper measurement, as chilli peppers are a bit larger. I find the pepper flakes to be quite hot, due to the seeds, so that measurement works for me, but if you need more heat, then feel free to add more.