Schezwan Sauce (Indo-Chinese Red Chili-Garlic sauce)

Nothing beats homemade condiments and sauces. Even though it is quite tempting to buy store bought sauces because of their convenience, I think if you have time it is much better to make them from scratch at home. Homemade sauces have no preservatives and are much healthier than the ones in the bottle.

The schezwan sauce is made with red chilies along with the regular Indo-Chinese ingredients like ginger, garlic, soy sauce etc. Recipe is adapted from Veg Recipes of India. It is spicy, tangy and sweet at the same time. The sauce can also be used to make schezwan noodles or even used to dip momos or dumplings.

Ingredients: Makes about ½cup of sauce

Dry red chilies - 8

Garlic - 4 cloves, finely minced

Ginger - 2" piece, finely grated

Green Onions/ Scallions - ¼cup, finely chopped

Soy sauce - 1tbsp

Schezwan Peppercorns - 1tsp, crushed

Brown Sugar - 1tbsp (adjust as per taste)

Rice Vinegar - 1tbsp (you can also use White or Apple cider vinegar)

Salt & Pepper - to taste

Method:

• Soak dry red chilies in warm water for at least 30 minutes. Grind them to a paste adding just a little bit of water.
• Heat 2tbsp peanut or sesame oil in a small saucepan, add the ginger & garlic and cook till fragrant about 1~2 minutes.
• Next add the sliced scallions and cook till tender, about 2~3 minutes.
• Next add the ground chili paste, crushed Schezwan peppercorns and cook for 1~2 minutes or until the oil starts floating around the edges. Add ½cup of water and simmer for 1~2 minutes.
• Stir in soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Simmer for another 4~5 minutes  or until the mixture thickens a little bit. Let cool and use as needed. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.