Sweet Chili Sauce
The strength of this sauce will depend on the kind of chilli you use. Large, plump chilies are usually milder than small, thin ones. If the sauce turns out to be too hot for your taste, simply add a proportion of tomato ketchup until it feels right.
Ingredients
250 g/8 oz fresh red chillies, or 1/2 cup chili powder
750 g/1 1/2 lb/3 cups white sugar
750 ml/1 1/2 pints/3 cups white cider vinegar
375 g/12 oz sultanas (golden raisins)
10 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger (discard fibres)
3 teaspoons salt or to taste
Directions
Cut off and discard chilli stems. Cut chillies in halves lengthways and scrape out seeds with a teaspoon.
In a non-aluminium saucepan combine all ingredients and simmer until chillies, garlic and sultanas are very soft. Cool, purée in a food processor or blender, or push through a non-metal sieve. Bring to the boil once more. Pour into sterilised bottles and seal.
Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)