Sweet Chili Sauce

Sweet chili sauce are awesome because I can use it as a dip or sauce for fried meats, egg rolls, fish and shrimp. I know that they are readily available in most Asian markets and have used them in the past but I think nothing is much better than a home made version because it does not contain any additives and preservatives. If I have to absolutely use a store-bought variety, I would go with Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce, by far the best in the market.

Making sweet chili sauce is quite easy and requires just a few ingredients and few steps. They also keep well in the refrigerator. I love a chunkier and slightly spicy version so I always add more than an average amount of chili but feel free to reduce the amount for a milder version. ALso, you can opt to remove the seeds if you want it to become even milder. The seeds in peppers are what makes it really spicy so removing some or all of it can lower the heat factor. I also use red chili paste to enhance the color as well as kick up the spiciness a bit.


Ingredients:

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar, adjust according to your desired sweetness
6-8 small red chili peppers, chopped finely
1/2 tsp red chili paste
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 (2 inch each) orange peel, julienned finely

Thickener:
1 - 2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp water


1. Combine ingredients for thickener in a small bowl and mix well then set aside.
2. In a saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar, chili, garlic, orange peel, chili paste. Heat over medium heat . Stir until sugar is dissolved.
3. Simmer until all ingredients has softened.
4. Slowly whisk in cornstarch mixture and cook until it thickens. NOTE: Add cornstarch mixture slowly so as to avoid becoming too thick. If you accidentally add too much cornstarch mixture and the sauce becomes too thick, you can thin it out by adding a little bit more water and cooking it a little bit longer.
5. Remove from heat and cool before serving or refrigerating.

Sweet and Sour Mango Sauce

I love mango and have used it in a variaty of dishes either as a sauce or in a drink. I am lucky that it is locally available at the regular supermarket that I go to. The variety though is not the same as the ones that I am accustomed to back in the Philippines but it is good enough. The particular variety that is locally available are those that comes from Mexico. They are somewhat similar to the carabao mango that we have in the Philippines which we do not use in cooking but is usually eaten when it is still slightly unripe with sauteed bagoong. Bagoong is a shrimp paste which has been fermented then pounded using a giant mortar and pestle like contraption. Salt is usually added during the fermentation process so bagoong is slightly salty with a distinct pungent smell. The smell and taste is acquired which may not suite the taste of some people but Filipinos love them.

This is a variation of the usual sweet and sour sauce that I concocted to go with my squid and shrimp mini lumpia. I substituted mango puree for the catsup which is one of the components of sweet and sour sauce. The result is a refreshingly fruity sauce that goes so well with the lumpia that I made.



Ingredients:

1 cup slightly underripe mango, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 cup vinegar
1 thumb sized ginger, peeled and sliced
sugar (the amount will have to depend on how sweet the mangoes are and your preference)
30 water
1 Tbsp flour dissolved in 3 Tbsp water

1. Place mango, sugar, 30 cc water, and vinegar in a blender and blend until pureed and sugar has been dissolved.
2. In a small bowl, dissolve flour in water
3. Heat sauce pan in medium heat. Add mango puree and vinegar. Stir to incorporate.
4. Let the mixture simmer for 3-4 minutes.
5. Add flour mixture 1 tsp at a time until the desired thickness is reached.
6. Remove from heat then strain to remove anu undissolved flor and mango fibers. Use the back of a spoon to help it along.
7. Let it cool and serve with lumpia or other fried dishes as a dipping sauce.

Easy Mango Salsa

I have a lot of mango again because they were on sale at thisgrocery store that I went to. At 2 for 99 cents, they are a bargain compared to $1.60 +++ a piece at Pavilion's. I made this as an accompaniment to my baked porkchop with sinigang mix rub. The two was perfect together. This can also be used as topping for fish or chicken as well as a dip for chips. The only thing that i would change is to diced the mangoes finely if intended to use as a dip.

Salsa, not to be confused with the dance bearing the same name (whhahaha), means sauce and is Latin American in origin. In America, we are used to the salsa that has the Mexican and Central American influence and is usually made of tomatoes,onions, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime or lemon juice. Salsa though refers to a huge variety of sauce such as pico de gallo, salsa taquera, salsa verde, salsa negra, and guacamole to name a few. Salsa is traditionally blended using mortar and pestle producind a chunky sauce-like appearance. Blender has taken the place of mortar and pestle which has really taken a lot of the hard work.

This salsa is a variation which uses mango, tomato, shallots, cilantro, philippine chili pepper (I did not have any jalapeno), and a combination of lemon and lime juices. I used mangoes that are a little underripe so it is a little sweeter than the green ones with flesh that are firm compared to the soft texture of the ripe mangoes.The result is a slightly sweet and slightly tart flavor with a hint of spiciness.


Ingredients:

1 mango, diced coarsely
1 tomato, diced
1 shallot, diced
a small bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper or 3 philippine pepper, chopped
1 Tsp freshly squeezed lime juice.
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste


Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Let is stand in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.