Sweet Chili Sauce: How To Make It, Use It, and Love It!

For most of us, there’s that one sauce we have in our cupboards that we just love to slather on just about everything.  For a pretty good chunk of the population, that is sweet chili sauce.  Commonly found in Asian, but most popular in Western, Thai, and Malaysian cuisine, sweet chili sauce is a versatile condiment that can be used as a spread on veggie burgers or other sandwiches, a dip for spring and fresh rolls , and also in stir-fries.  Sweet chili sauce is widely available in most supermarkets.  It contains red chilies, vinegar, and a bit of sugar.  There are some variations, where you may also find ingredients such as garlic and lime.  You may also want to try and create your own homemade sweet chili sauce from the comfort of your home.

Health Benefits

Red chilies are considered to be very good for your metabolism.  Research done on the effects of red chilies has found that they also help fight pain and act as anti-inflammatory agents.  They are also considered to be very good at helping improve blood circulation.  The vinegar in sweet chili sauce has been said to be very at helping your digestive system, and it also aids in the balancing of your liver and helping get rid of excess body fat in the abdomen.  Combined with garlic, it can also act as an antioxidant.  Sweet chili sauce is low in calories (one tablespoon contains around only 3 calories) and it does not contain any fat, making it a good choice for those who want to maintain a low calorie count.  It is also high in vitamin C, as one tablespoon can contain around 4.5 mg, or around 6% a person’s daily requirement.

Due to its strong taste, you will only be using a small amount of sweet chili sauce to flavor your favorite foods, which will be considered just right in order to get all of the benefits from its contents.  If you are looking for a bit of heat in your diet, or maybe just a change of taste, then sweet chili sauce may be worth looking into.

How To Make Your Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce

Sweet chili sauce is fine when bought from a store, but it will taste a lot fresher when you make it at home.  The homemade version will also be a bit more spicy, not that there’s anything wrong with that!  If you’re not so much into the heat, only use half of the red pepper flakes or omit the sriracha.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1/4 cup Rice Vinegar
• 1/4 cup of room temperature water
• 1 tbsp finely minced garlic (about 5-6 cloves)
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon (or less) of sriracha
• 1 tbsp of cornstarch
• 1 tbsp of cold water
• 1/2 teaspoons of salt

Process

1. Add the cup of room temp water, rice vinegar, and sugar to a pot over medium-high heat.  When the mixture starts to boil, add the garlic and red pepper flakes.  Bring the boil down to a simmer and let it go for another couple minutes.
2. Add the sriracha (skip this if you don’t want your chili sauce to be as hot)
3. In a separate small bowl, mix the cornstarch and cold water until the cornstarch dissolves.
4. Bring the sauce back to a low boil and add the cornstarch mixture and the salt.
5. The sauce will start to thicken up immediately.  Cook while constantly stirring until the mixture reaches its desired thickness, about 3-5 minutes.
6. Let the sauce cool and then dip away!

Cooking With Sweet Chili Sauce

1. Corn Fritters with Sweet Chili Sauce
2. Cauliflower Manchurian

Image credit: jeffreyw/Flickr

Here are some more sauces you can easily make at home!

1. Homemade Applesauce

2. Homemade Barbecue Sauce

3. Homemade Spicy Red Wine Tomato Sauce

4. Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce

5. Butterscotch Sauce