Went through a few recipes on the Net and got some interesting ideas, so decided to do a Thai inspired version. After all, sweet chilli sauce is Thai, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I this added garlic, ginger and nam pla (fish sauce). I also came across a recipe that used brown sugar instead of normal sugar, so I did half brown sugar. The result is that although the sauce isn't transparent like the commercial versions we see, there is a caramel taste and combined with the sour, reminds me of my trips to Thailand and those sweet, spicy and sour tamarind sweets wrapped in multicolour wrappers. Oh I miss travelling!
Ingredients (makes 1 pickling jar of sauce)
300g of chillis. I used about 25 to 30 large Asian chillis.
2 cups white vinegar (I'm told rice vinegar is less acrid tasting)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
⅓ cup fish sauce
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic
1 tbsp cornstarch in 2 tbsp water
Method
1) I don't like it too spicy, so I deseeded half the chillis. Roughly chop or snip with a scissors into the bowl of a food processor. Process till finely chopped, but not yet a paste. You want to see the seeds and flakes of chilli.
2) Pour chilli, vinegar and sugar into a pot. On medium high flame, stir till you no longer feel the grittiness of the sugar. Don't let it boil, or the sugar will burn.
3) Reduce to a simmer and let the sauce reduce, about 30 to 40 minutes till syrupy. Stir every 5 minutes so it doesn't catch and burn at the bottom.
4) When you are satisfied with the syrupy texture, drizzle in the cornstarch mixture and turn off the flame. It took me 35 minutes to get the consistency I wanted.
5) The mixture is essentially molten sugar. Let it cool about 20 minutes before transferring to a sterilized jam jar or bottle.
6) Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
Feedback on recipe: I would omit the corn starch, which was suggested by some recipes, from future recipes. After cooling down, the sauce became too thick, more like jam! I didn't know that would happen.
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