Sweet Chilli Sauce goes with just about everything and, after a bumper chilli season, just as well!
I always like to preserve with the seasons, and while prepping several batches of Sweet Chilli Sauce thought I’d incorporate a few different seasonal additions. Why? Why not! While the recipe is delicious alone no doubt, I thought I’d use a few ‘carriers’ to help thicken the sauce naturally – adding both volume and natural sweetness.
The Chilli
Depending on what chilli you have in abundance, do what feels best for your taste-buds when it comes to deciding to leave the seeds partially in or out, the variety or the quantity you choose to include!
Scotch Bonnet is extremely hot so you may wish to only use some of the seeds – the flesh itself may be hot enough for you. Bird’s Eye chilli too is a sneaky little variety that carries a punchy heat. Habanero and Jalapeno – throw them all in. I tend to chop off and discard the top but otherwise use all of it, including the seeds. Don’t be afraid to use a mix of chilli too – it all tastes fabulous in the end.
If your eyes are watering at the thought of the heat, you can also swap out a few chilli for capsicum – it mellows the heat somewhat. If you have made an extremely potent batch, be sure to label it as such so there are no surprises upon opening the bottle!
The Extras!
For the first batch, I included yacon! Yacon, if you are not familiar with it, is known as a Peruvian ground apple – sweet, crunchy and goes in abundance from a rhizome. If you haven’t used the yacon tuber before, it looks like a kumara, but once the skin has been peeled, and the thin white layer beneath, you’re left with an amber vegetable ready to eat. Yes, you can eat it raw – and it’s great in stirfries too, however in this instance I grated it.
For my second batch, I included green apples! While the Granny Smith variety is tart, it also worked perfectly. Again, I grated the peeled apple. Either way, whether using yacon or apple, incorporate it into the mix quickly as it is prone to browning quickly.
I have also used a squeeze of lime and finely chopped kaffir lime leaves, so have fun playing with what ingredients you have close by!
Sweet Chilli Sauce with Extras
Ingredients
- 15-20 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 cups peeled an grated yacon or green apple
- 1 cup water
- 2.5 cups white sugar
- 2.5 cups white vinegar
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- juice of a lime (optional)
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped (optional)
Method
- Add all ingredients into a large saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Cook for approx 30 minutes.
- Use a stick blender and blend to breakdown any chunky elements to the sauce.
- Return to the heat, and simmer for another 30-60 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce and become thicker.
- Bottle into hot sterilised jars.
