Okay, I admit it ... this isn't REALLY baking is it? But I'll tell you a secret about me .. not only am I obsessed with baking .. I am actually obsessed with FOOD in general! So from now on i'll be dropping in a few savoury goodies to hang out alongside my sweet treats! It seems we have been having some really good BBQ weather here in the UK at the moment (ok, i'll admit it, it's boiling .. our houses were not designed for this kind of of heat in mind). So, my husband and I have been spending a lot of time outside indulging in some al fresco dining. I love nothing better than rummaging in the freezer to see what we can throw on the BBQ. Last Sunday I found a whole host of odd forgotten lamb burgers, sausages and even venison burgers (HOW might I ask did I forget these??) I had chucked in the freezer at one time or another. We had a nice meat glut going on .. but very few condiments, there was the obvious ketchup, a bit of mayo and even some sour cream but *shock horror* we had run out of my absolute condiment of the moment .. sweet chilli sauce! I wondered if it would be easy to make and following the Thai principles of "hot, sweet, sour, salty" I knocked this together - I think it worked really well .. and from now on will be called "BANG BANG" sauce because it packs quiet a punch - if you prefer a milder variety leave out the chilli seeds. It is really easy to do, I just used a standard mug as a size measure. The sauce will keep in a sterilized bottle for up to 6 months - but remember with chillis the heat calms down the longer you leave it. Our current bottle lasted exactly 3 days so we certainly won't have that problem .. anyway, here goes .. my "bang bang" chilli sauce .. (By the way I have no idea if this is traditional sweet chilli sauce - it was a Sunday afternoon guess - I am sharing because it worked really well :)
Ingredients
4 red or green Thai birds eye chillis (red is traditional, I only had green in!!).
3 chunky cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup.
3/4 mug of sugar
1/4 mug of white wine vinegar (or any white vinegar will do).
3/4 mug of water
1 tablespoon of corn flour (corn starch to any US or AUS readers!).
1 tablespoon salt.
First take a teaspoon of the water allowance and mix it up with the corn flour to make a sludge - place this to one side.
In a food processor pop the chillis, garlic, sugar, vinegar, ketchup & salt. Whizz this up until all the chillis and garlic are chopped and you have a paste.
Place this mix in a heavy saucepan and add the water. Give it a stir.
Bring to the boil and simmer for about 3 minutes.
Add the "sludge" of cornflour to thicken. Keep simmering for another 5 minutes or until it is at your required consistency. Thinner for dipping, thicker for smothering ..
Bottle up, and wait to cool ...
Enjoy!
