Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce
Here's a batch of sweet & spicy homemade Thai sweet chilli sauce that's perfect for dipping! It's easy to make & contains 3 types of chilli, for maximum flavour.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time20 minutes mins
Course: Sauces, Side Dish
Cuisine: Thai
Servings: 20 Servings
Author: Ben Racey
Saucepan
Microplane/Grater
- 25 g Bird's Eye Chillies (Around 12 Chillies - See Notes)
- 6 Garlic Cloves
- A 1" Piece Of Fresh Ginger
- 300 g Caster Sugar
- 200 g Water
- 150 g Rice Wine Vinegar
- 100 g Honey
- 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp Chilli Flakes (See Notes)
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 30 g Sambal Oelek (See Notes)
Sweet Chilli Sauce
First, cut off the green stems from the chillies then cut each chilli in half lengthways. Thinly slice the chillies widthways then place into a large saucepan, along with the seeds.
Peel & grate the garlic & fresh ginger then add into the pan with the chillies.
Add the sugar, vinegar, water, honey, soy sauce, chilli flakes & paprika into the pan then set over a medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently until the sugar has dissolved. This will take 3-4 minutes.
Next, stir the Sambal Oelek into the sauce then turn the heat up to medium heat & bring the sauce to the boil. In the meantime, add the cornflour & water into a small bowl & stir to make into a smooth paste.
Once the sauce is boiling, stir in the cornflour slurry then cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring pretty much constantly, until thick. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Once cooked, take the pan off the heat & let the sauce cool. Then transfer the chilli sauce into a sterilised jar & store in the fridge.
1. To Cook On An Aga - Cook the sauce on the simmering plate (all steps).
2. Chillies - I used Bird's Eye Chillies for my sweet chilli sauce which are a type of Thai chilli that have quite a high level of heat (50,000 - 100,00 Scovilles). For a milder sauce, use cayenne chillies (or another long red chilli) instead. For the chilli flakes, I used Aleppo chilli flakes but other types will works as well.
3. Sambal Oelek - This is a type of chilli paste that's made with raw red chillies, vinegar & salt. Adding this into your sauce is optional but it adds another layer of flavour! You can get Sambal Oelek in some supermarkets or online.
4. Spice Level - This sweet chilli sauce has a little bit of a kick! For a milder flavour, you could use half the amount of chilli flakes & a milder variety of fresh chilli. You could also remove the seeds from the chillies, for less heat.
5. Storage - Homemade sweet chilli sauce should be stored in a sterilised container, in the fridge and is best eaten within 3 weeks. There's info on how to sterilise a jar in the post above.
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