Just enough chilli, just enough sauce

I don't know about you but recipes that ask me to use a quarter of a teaspoon of something that I am unlikely to need again in the next year really drive me mad.  I end up with jars of stuff in the fridge that only get moved when I need to make room for the milk and then I think "oh yeah - should be using that up soon" - only I never do.

Sweet chilli sauce...

For yesterday's stir fry I wanted some sweet chilli sauce and decided to make my own. After a bit of searching I found an easy recipe that resulted in a lovely sauce - exactly as sweet & hot as I like it and no more than we needed. Perfect! The other advantage is that you know exactly what's in it - no glucose-fructose syrup, no additives, no other little horrors. 

I thought it would be really difficult to make this sauce and that it would taste nothing like commercial brands.  I am glad to say I was wrong on both counts and I will try and make more stuff like this from scratch.  I'll keep you posted on any progress.



Sweet Chilli Sauce

Ingredients:
1 red or orange pepper
100ml white or rice vinegar
100ml water
100g caster sugar
dried chilli flakes or 1 - 2 fresh chillies (red, deseeded)

Method:

1. Roughly chop the pepper and fresh chillies (if using)
2. Put in a saucepan, cover with the water, vinegar and sugar and bring to the boil.  Add the chilli flakes at this point if you are using these instead of fresh chillies.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes, then leave to cool.
4. Once cool, blend until smooth; then return to a low heat for another 10 -15 minutes or until the mixture turns sticky.
5. Leave to cool before serving.  Ideal for stir fry dishes or as a dipping sauce.

Note:  If you find the sauce ends up too thick once cooled, simply add a little boiling water from the kettle and stir to get the right consistency.