Sweet chili sauce is a Thai favorite. You can purchase this sauce in bottles. One brand that is gluten free is Thai Kitchen Sweet Chili Sauce. If you’re allergic to tapioca, choose another gluten free brand or make this recipe. It’s easy to make it at home, though; and can be stored for a very long time. (Though it begins to loose its heat after a month or so.) While ginger is not a common ingredient in sweet chili sauce, I provide it as an option in my recipe. Lately, I use fresh ginger in almost all of my Asian dishes. Use this sauce in dips, dipping sauces, and my favorite, Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps/Cups. I think I’ll start using this as my go-to dip for my Gluten Free Potsticker Recipe. Since it contains no oil, it is low in fat and calories (not carbs). For added calories, use a little salad oil or my new Gluten Free Chili Oil Recipe.
An amazing and addictive Asian sauce you'll fall in love with if you enjoy sweet and spicy food. This gluten free sweet chili sauce is great for salads, Asian dumplings - potstickers and chicken dishes.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried, crushed red peppers (or red hot chili oil) (optional)
- 3/4 to 1 cup minced red or orange bell peppers, minced (or medium-hot peppers)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced or finely grated
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt (as low as 1/2 tsp for low-sodium diets)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or potato starch, tapioca flour, or arrowroot powder)
Instructions:
- Add vinegar and, if using, pepper seeds to a cup; and stir for about 1 minute. (The longer it sits, the hotter it becomes.) Strain and discard seeds.
- Add vinegar, bell pepper, garlic, sugar, salt, and water to a small saucepan.
- Heat over medium heat in a saucepan until it becomes steamy, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Towards the end of cooking, in a small dish or cup, whisk together the starch and water. Slowly pour it into the hot mixture while whisking constantly until thick.
- Pour into a glass jar and cool at room temperature prior to sealing or storing. Refrigerate the sauce for at least 1 hour, up to several months.
Tips
When substituting spicy peppers for bell pepper, leaving the seeds and ribs in creates a hotter and spicier sauce.