Chinese Chili Sauce

Chinese Chili Sauce is a versatile sauce to have in your refrigerator for “anytime” use. Try this quick and easy recipe for Chinese Chili Sauce and have it on hand the next time you make a Chinese or Indian Chinese dish. It also makes a great dipping sauce for egg rolls or summer rolls or you feel like just spicing up for food. It has a kick to it as well as a lot of flavor.

Ingredients:

Whole Dried Red Chilies – 10
Hot Water – 1 cup
Garlic – 1 Tbsp, finely chopped
Brown Sugar – 2 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp or to taste
White Vinegar – 4 Tbsp
Sesame Oil – 2 Tbsp

Method:

1. Break Whole Dry Red Chilies in half and soak them in hot water for 20 minutes to soften.
2. Drain off water and place soaked chilies in a blender.
3. Add remaining ingredients (except Sesame Oil) to the blender and grind to desired texture (fine or coarse).
4. Remove chili paste into a small bowl.
5. Heat Sesame Oil in a small skillet until it starts to smoke.
6. Pour hot Sesame Oil over the chili paste and mix well.
7. Store in an air tight bottle or container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

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0 thoughts on “Chinese Chili Sauce

  1. Hi ladies,

    I am a 34 years of age mother of 3 from Canada! My family of 5 loves Indian food and this website has been a tremendous help to me for de-mystifying how to prepare traditional Indian cuisine.

    This is one of the best video food website/blogs that i have come across! Thank you for taking the time to make these very well explained demonstrations. It’s one thing to follow a recipe that has been written but when a video is made and I can watch each step…. it’s like magic happens! All of a sudden I can become a wonderful top chef 🙂

    The question I had is would you be able to tell me what type of blender you use in this video for making the chili sauce? I am in the process of updating my kitchen and I would like some ideas for essential kitchen gadgets and appliances that help to speed up the process of healthy home cooking. I find that most of the traditional foods that previous generations used to make, aren’t made as often anymore because of hectic work/school/family lives. But with certain tools, and a little preparation, these nourishing foods can be enjoyed on a more consistent basis.

    A video about the gadgets and appliances that the two of you use would be greatly appreciated.

    Keep up the great work! I am truly inspired by your dedication.

    Thank you kindly,

    Stacy Bernard.

    1. Hi Stacy,

      We’re so glad that you are finding SMTC a useful guide to Indian cooking. Our blender is often referred to as an Indian “Mixie”. Sumeet and Premier are two of the brands we know of that carry it. It has several different size jars. The smallest one (the one in this video) is a wet/dry spice grinder. It works great to blend spice powders as well as wet chutneys and sauces. It is definitely one of the most used gadgets in our kitchen.

  2. Hi WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD OF SESAME OIL AS IT WILL BE OKAY TO FIND IN UK BUT NOT SURE IF I CAN FIND IT WHEN I NEED TO COOK BACK HOME.

    1. Hi Spice Fairy,

      Sorry, there is not much you can do to tone down the spiciness of the sauce as is, however, the level of spice always depends on the chilies you use. You may be able to find less spicy chilies so that you can make a second batch of sauce and mix it in with the original.

  3. Hello Hetal and Anuja,
    What a wonderful way of sharing India recipes.
    Loved to see your Recipes, I have one to share with you, its called Oatmeal Besan Chilla/pancake or You could pair it with Bread and make a Bread French Toast a Spicy one though.
    Ingredients are:
    Besan about 1 cup,
    Oatmeal 1/2 cup
    Ginger Chilli Garlic Paste
    Chopped Onions 3 tbsp
    Chopped Corainder 1 tbsp.
    Salt to taste
    Add water to all of these ingredients and make a thick paste.
    It should be a good consistency thinner than Bhajia batter.
    Now put it on hot griddle and spread it like a pancake.
    Now add 1 tbsp oil on the sides.
    when it browns then turn it and brown evenly and serve with cilantro chutney or sauce.

    You can coat one side of Bread,spread cilantro chutney on bread slice and then coat with the batter and now put it on hot griddle/hot tawa, brown on both sides evenly.
    To serve slice into 4 pieces and serve with chutney or sauce.

  4. Wow! The best chilli sauce ever. Hetal & Anuja you both are fantabulous chef! I really enjoy following your recipes. They are all yummy yummy great making may family happy tasting and eating menus from your page… KUDOS to the both of you!!!

  5. Hi Hetal/Anuja,
    just read somewhere in comments above that olive oil can’t be heated to smoking point. can u tell the reason why?
    i do my cooking in olive oil and it does get heated to smoking point sometimes. Can i do frying..like samosas and other things in olive oil??

    1. Hi Lavi,

      The smoking point for olive oil is less than other oils such as canola, corn or peanut. While frying, the temperature tends to be on the higher side so the olive oil will start to smoke and will lose all it’s flavor.

  6. Hi Hetal & Anuja,
    can you please demo. the recipe for Chicken lollypop & schzewan sauce? Recently, I ate this in India & loved it.But we can’t get it in USA.
    Thanking in anticipation,
    Shakuntala

  7. thanks hetal,
    i thought you would have not answer this coz its very late question,but you girls are the best i”ll try it out with white sugar and let u know.

    1. Hi Divya,

      The quantity of this recipe is pretty small so it is a little hard to grind in a normal blender. Of course, some blenders are very good so it may work. Your other option would be to make a bigger batch :).

  8. can you please do a video for vegetable munchurian??? i love indo-chinese so please give us more indo-chinese recipes. and i have already watched the gobi munchurian but i would like to see vegetable munchurian now please.

  9. Thank for quick recipe !
    I couldnt find white vinegar in my nearer grocery shop :(…Can i use malt vinegar or rice vinegar in place of it ? whats the difference between rice, white and malt vinegar ? I really confussed about its flavour as didnt use much vinegar in cooking..
    Keep posting recipe !

    1. Different vinegars are brewed from different grains and such, yielding different flavors. You could substitute the rice vinegar for the white as rice vinegar is mild and used for other Asian recipes.

    1. Brown sugar adds a slightly different flavor plus some color. In a bind, you can get away with plain white sugar.

    1. If you use any other type of oil, you can just heat it slightly (not to a smoking point). Also, you may lose out on some key flavor of the sesame oil.

  10. Hello Hetal and Anuja.
    I have the same question as Noela and my other question is can I use any other oil instead of sesame oil. Thanks in advance.

    1. As long as there is a oil floating on the top, it will last a while about 2-3 months in the refrigerator.
      You can use other Oils, but we would recommend just heating the oil and not allowing it to smoke. Ofcourse, you will lose out on the key flavor of the sauce.

  11. Hetal and Anuja, thanks for another lovely recipe! My husband loves chinese sauce, so am excited at the prospect of making some at home!:)

    What is the maximum life of this sauce if refrigerated?

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