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Sugar-Free Sweet Chilli Sauce

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A simple sugar-free sweet chilli sauce that has multiple uses, is quick to make and all you need is a pot and a stove. This is such a simple sauce to make, especially if you love condiments on anything and everything. This is a sauce that has many uses from using at dinner, to creating yummy healthy snacks to enjoying with friends as part of a savoury platter.

For a super quick meal, serve this with some crispy Ragoons, Soybean Sprout Soup or some crunchy Mushroom Spring Rolls.

This Sweet Chilli Sauce recipe goes well with Baked Chinese 5-spice Chicken, Lemongrass Chicken or Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops (Thit Heo Nuong Xa).

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 teaspoon Sambel Olek – Chilli Paste
  • 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup granulated sweetener that measures like sugar
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons arrowroot mixed with 3 teaspoons water

Instructions

  1. Add the granulated sweetener and water to a saucepan and heat on high until the sweetener dissolves and the water becomes a little cloudy.
  2. Add the garlic, ginger, sambel olek, fish sauce and vinegar and stir in. Keep stirring until it begins to simmer, then reduce heat to medium.
  3. Mix the 3 teaspoons of arrowroot with 3 teaspoons of water to make a liquid and add it to the chilli sauce, stirring in. Sauce will begin to thicken slightly and become glossy. Keep stirring on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
  4. Remove pan from heat, cover with a tea towel and leave to cool for 1 hour.
  5. After 1 hour, pour the sauce into a clean jar with a lid. Screw the lid on tight and refrigerate for 24 hrs before using.
  6. Keep sauce stored in the fridge and once opened, use within 7 days.

Notes

  • Heat Intensity: 1 teaspoons of sambel Olek will make a mild to medium intensity sugar free sweet chilli sauce. For a hotter version, use 2 teaspoons of sambel olek.
  • Sambel Olek: this is an Indonesian chilli paste available from the Asian food aisle of supermarkets. It is basically pulverised chilli with nothing else added.
  • Sambel Olek Alternative: If you can’t find Sambel Olek, or you want to use real chillies, for a medium intensity, use 3 chillies, remove the seeds from 2 of them and leave seeds in on one. Pulse in a food processor or mash with a mortar and pestle to make into a paste.
  • Sweetener: For the granulated sweetener, I used Monkfruit sweetener, but you can also use granulated stevia.
  • Garlic + Ginger: For convenience sakes, you can use the bottled garlic and ginger, just make sure to read the label and ensure that nothing else has been added.
  • Arrowroot: This is a gluten free and corn free starch (thickening agent) obtained from a tropical plant. Arrowroot is also often referred to as Tapioca Flour and they are basically interchangeable. Using arrowroot as the thickener creates a glossy sauce that maintains its vibrant colour.
  • Sauce Thickness: This is not meant to be a super thick sauce. When it comes off the heat, it might look like its not thick enough but avoid adding more arrowroot to further thicken as this will make it gluggy and clumpy once it has cooled down and been refrigerated. Stick with the 3 teaspoons of arrowroot and 3 teaspoons of water and this should result in a good consistency once cooled.
  • Can you use Cornflour? You can if that is all you have on hand, but cornflour will change the color of the sauce, making it less red and vibrant and making it paler. It will also lessen the intensity of flavour. For these reasons, I prefer using Arrowroot, as it doesn’t affect the colour or taste.
  • Storage: Keep sauce stored in the fridge and once opened, use within 7 days. Discard after this time.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://goingmywayz.com/sugar-free-sweet-chilli-sauce/