To make sweet chili sauce, simmer half a cup of sugar with a third of a cup of rice vinegar, a third of a cup of water, two grated garlic cloves, a tablespoon of red chili flakes, and a pinch of salt for five minutes, then stir in a slurry of two teaspoons cornstarch in a tablespoon of water and simmer one minute more until glossy.
What is sweet chili sauce?
Sweet chili sauce is the bottled face of a Thai family of dipping sauces called nam chim, and the version the world knows best is the one served with grilled chicken: sugar and vinegar cooked to a light syrup, loaded with garlic and red chili, thickened just enough to cling. The visible chili flecks are not decoration, they are the sauce announcing its own ingredient list.
Made at home the balance comes back under your control. Bottled versions run heavily sweet because sugar is cheap and preserving. On the stove you can pull the sugar down, push the garlic up, and use enough chili that the sweetness has something to answer to. The cornstarch slurry at the end is what turns a thin syrup into the glossy coat the fried-food economy depends on.
What goes in sweet chili sauce?
- ·1/2 cup sugar
- ·1/3 cup rice vinegar
- ·1/3 cup water
- ·2 garlic cloves, grated fine
- ·1 tbsp red chili flakes (or 2 minced fresh red chilies)
- ·1/4 tsp salt
- ·2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp cold water
- ·Optional: 1 tsp fish sauce for depth
Three parts sugar to two parts vinegar, with an equal part of water to keep the simmer from racing to caramel. Fresh red chilies give a brighter sauce, flakes give the familiar bottled look, and a mix of both is the best of it.
How do you make sweet chili sauce?
- Combine the sugar, vinegar, water, garlic, chili, and salt in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves, and cook five minutes.
- Stir the cornstarch slurry, then whisk it in and simmer one minute until the sauce turns glossy and lightly thickened.
- It thickens further as it cools, pull it while it still looks slightly loose.
- Cool and jar. Keeps three weeks refrigerated.
What should you know before making sweet chili sauce?
- Pull it early. The sauce at a perfect dipping thickness in the hot pan will set up like jam in the fridge.
- A teaspoon of fish sauce turns it from candy toward dinner, this is the move for spring rolls and grilled meats.
- Beyond dipping: brush it on salmon or wings for the last five minutes of heat, or whisk it with lime juice into a fast salad dressing.
Where did sweet chili sauce come from?
Sweet chili sauce descends from Thai nam chim, the broad family of dipping sauces mixed to order beside grills and fryers, and in particular the sweet garlic-chili sauce that accompanies grilled chicken. Bottled export versions carried it into fridges worldwide, where it became the default dip for spring rolls and everything crispy.
What can you make from sweet chili sauce?
Common questions.
What is sweet chili sauce made of?
Sugar, rice vinegar, water, garlic, and red chili, simmered together and thickened with a little cornstarch. Some versions add fish sauce for depth.
Why is my sweet chili sauce too thick?
It cooked too long after the slurry went in, or it was judged in the pan instead of at room temperature. Whisk in warm water a spoonful at a time and it loosens right back.
How long does homemade sweet chili sauce keep?
About three weeks refrigerated in a sealed jar. The sugar and vinegar are both preservers, which is why the bottled version lives so comfortably on shelves.