Thai Sweet chilli sauce - pictorial

[British Red]

Well, its become a bit of a tradition for me to do a few recipes at this time of year. A combination of longer evenings, excess produce, upcoming gift giving all spur me to "preserve".

Its not really bushcraft but I know a lot of us grow toms and chillis so this might be helpful to some

This is one of my favourites - Thai sweet chilli sauce - a great dipping sauce or use as a condiment on meet or with cheese.

The Ingredients

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1 Kg of peeled chopped de-seeded tomatoes (you can used tinned but I end up with loads this time of year)
A head of garlic
8 large red chillies (avoid scotch bonnets or nagas - medium hot like tabasco is my favourite but milder is great)
About two table spoons of grated fresh ginger (a piece the size of three fingers)
4 Tbs of Nam Pla (Thai fish sauce - available in all supermarkets)
600g of unrefined sugar
200ml or vinegar (I like red wine vinegar for this but any works)

Preparing a puree

First put your tomatoes in a blender (after peeling, deseeding and rough chopping)

Then take a sharp knife and peel your ginger. It should be juicy and moist not hard and woody.

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Grate or finely chop the ginger

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Take the garlic and peel all the cloves. Put the garlic and ginger in the blender

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Take the tops and tails off your chillis

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Roughly chop the chillis - seeds and all!

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Add the chilli to the blender

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Pour four tablespoons of fish sauce into the blender

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Blitz the contents of the blender to a puree

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Put the puree in a large stainless pan and add 600g of raw sugar and 200ml of vinegar

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Stir the ingredeints well. You'll notice the colour darken a bit

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Cooking

Bring the contents of the pan to the boil stirring gently

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Lower to a simmer. A small froth or scum will form - skim this off and discard

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Maintain the simmer stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes put 6 half pint jars in the oven to warm for another 15 minutes - keep stirring and skimming the sauce

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When the jars are hot, fill them with the hot suace (a jam funnel is a great help).

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Take care - hot jar...hot sauce..burnt fingers!

Seal the jars firmly and wait for the lids to "ping"

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This sauce is hotter than the commercial stuff so adjust to your taste. Leave for a month to mature - be ready for Christmas in plenty of time and will keep for at least six months

Plenty more recipes for preserving "excess veg" if anyone wants them...as this weeks output shows :o

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Red

[Shewie]

Perfect timing thanks Red

That's my Sunday afternoon sorted then :)

[pommie]

Hi Red,


You dont happen to have a recipie for pickled eggs as here in the USA they think that pickled eggs are done in white vinigar only.


thanks in advance.

[CBJ]

Excellent tutorial, Cant wait to try this one out

thanks Red

[British Red]

Hi Red,


You dont happen to have a recipie for pickled eggs as here in the USA they think that pickled eggs are done in white vinigar only.


thanks in advance.

Put an ounce of pickling spice (I can give you the make up if you need it) in two pints of malt vinegar in a glass bowl. Put the bowl on a saucepan that is a quarter filled with water. Bring pan to the boil and then remove from heat and leave to infuse for two hours. Pour through a sieve to remove spice.

Hard boil 12 eggs for eight minutes. De-shell and leave to cool in cold water. pack into jars and pour over cooled spiced vinegar. Seal and leave for 6 weeks before eating.

HTH

Red

[Gabe]

Red, Cracking recipe I cant wait to try it out. I even have my own chillis to go into it!
Would you have a recipe for a glut of green tomatos please.

Many thanks

Nath

[Tony]

BR, excellent stuff, yes please to more :D

[Stingray]

The children and I have just made the first batch.
Thanks for the recipe.Keep 'em coming.I'd much rather make than buy and the kiddies love the cooking :D

[Jack_D]

Perfect timing - We are just in the conclusion of a family chilli growing contest and this is a great way to prolong the excess that we have.

Cheers

Jon

[DavidJT]

Thanks Red sounds really good. Have you tried putting some Cream cheese (Philadelphia) in a small bowl and pouring some sweet chilly sauce over it? Sounds bizzare but makes a great dip (as does lime pickle mixed with creme freche).
I'm getting the munchies!

[British Red]

BR, excellent stuff, yes please to more :D


Will do then Tony ;)

Red

[nicodiemus]

Here, Red.
You should do Lime Pickle!

I tried it many moons ago and was rewarded by a jar of mouldy sludge!

Max

[johnnytheboy]

Top class as usual

[British Red]

Just did a double batch of this using home grown Cheyenne chillis and Muscavado raw cane sugar. Sort of like chilli tingle with cinder toffee overtones :D

[the interceptor boy]

thanks red , that will go down very well with fish, octopus, crabs, beef, chiken, venision, also as a nice marinade sauce for making nice beef and venison jerky, think of reggae reggae sauce, we should call it BUSHY BUSHY REDA REDA SAUCE,, after you # British Red. cheers man. He he
cheers the interceptor boy