Making your own sweet chilli sauce means you can tailor the heat to your own preferences. Use more or less hot birdseye chillies and remove the seeds or leave them in if you like it hot. Keep in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to three weeks.
4 (about 100g3.5oz) long red chillies
3 (about 10g/0.35oz) red birds’ eye chilli
6 garlic cloves (about 30g/1oz) garlic, peeled
150ml water
100g white sugar
15ml white vinegar
15ml fish sauce
4g (0.14oz) salt
5g (0.17oz) potato starch or cornstarch mixed with 5g (0.17oz) water
Place chillies and garlic in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water, sugar, vinegar, fish sauce and salt. Add the chilli and garlic mixture and simmer until sugar dissolves. Then turn heat down and simmer for 5 minutes to let the flavours develop.
Whisk in the potato starch mixture and gently simmer for another minute.
Allow to cool, then store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
