Ya know how some things always bring up certain memories? Whether it is hearing a particular song, driving down that one road or tasting a certain flavor, it just makes you go back to a moment in time. Although I have no idea what causes this to happen, I do know that every time I have sweet chili sauce, I am flooded with wonderful memories of a very early date with my now husband.
Don’t worry, I will not be expanding on those juicy details, I will however be explaining how to easily whip up a fantastic sweet chili sauce from scratch in your own kitchen that you will want to put on absolutely everything.
Let’s get this sauce started…
The only “special” ingredient that you will need to make this sauce perfect is a jar of sambal oelek, which is ground chili paste and it makes all the difference in the world. It is easy to find in the international aisle of your local grocery store. It will be near the soy sauce, fish sauce and sriracha. It is reasonably priced and packs so much beautiful chili flavor into each teaspoon that it can be added to a wide variety of chili based dishes.
To start your sauce, combine 1/2 cup of rice vinegar, 1/4 cup of water, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon of sambal oelek chili paste, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of chili flakes, 2 teaspoons of minced garlic and 2 teaspoons of soy sauce in a small sauce pan.
Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl and set it aside.
Place the sauce pan over medium high heat and stir consistently until it comes to a low boil and the sugar dissolves. Next, add the cornstarch mixture and continue to stir for an additional 60-90 seconds. Once the sauce has thickened, remove the pan from the heat and transfer the sauce into a glass bowl to cool.
This sweet chili sauce is thick and absolutely full of warm, sweet, spicy flavors that work perfectly with so many dishes. I highly recommend using this recipe to make my sweet chili chicken wraps… you can thank me later…
Enjoy!!
Sweet Chili Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek chili paste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Combine 1/2 cup of rice vinegar, 1/4 cup of water, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon of sambal oelek chili paste, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of chili flakes, 2 teaspoons of minced garlic and 2 teaspoons of soy sauce into a small saucepan and place over medium high heat
- While the sauce is warming, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and set aside
- Once the sauce begins to steam, stir constantly until the sauce comes to a boil and the sugar dissolves
- Once the sugar is fully dissolved, add the cornstarch mixture and continue to stir constantly over medium high heat for an additional 60-90 seconds
- Once the sauce thickens, remove from heat and transfer into a glass bowl
- Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week
