Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce

Its not rocket science really but this sauce is the only recipe I went on a trial and error process twice. The tricky part of making this sauce is the garlic. I tried to simplify the ingredients although I have seen posts about

making this perfect pair for siomai and dimsum using herbs and other spices. I have nothing against using other spices but it is an acquired taste and it takes some time getting used to the taste and aroma if you use one. My first try was a disaster, I added so much sugar and when I fried it the sugar caramelized plus the ratio of the chili to garlic was not balanced. I also added one clove of star anise and the taste did not turn good at all. On my next try I kept in mind the mistakes I previously made and stick to the basic ingredients which are oil, garlic, chili and just a pinch of sugar, salt and my needed patience.  My ratio to come up with a perfect tasting sweet chili garlic sauce is one chili = one clove of garlic, oil must be just enough to cover the mix and focus on the cooking part, it must be constantly stirred on low heat and not left behind or the spices will burn. Once I achieved the ideal stage I crush the fried mix into another bowl with a little soy sauce to come up with a paste like consistency. Throughout the process I keep tasting it so I can asses what other ingredients is lacking or if I need to add something more to spice it up. My tip focus on the frying process and keep the fire at very low heat enough to cook the mix, do not burn. If you want to see bits of whole garlic, skip the food processor part. I was aiming for a paste like quality it’s why I chose to mix everything in a food processor first before actually frying it. Here is how I came up with my own version.

Ingredients:

7 pieces bird’s eye chili, chopped finely

7pieces garlic clove, chopped finely

A pinch of sugar

¼ cup canola oil

1 tbsp. soy sauce

A pinch of Salt

 Procedure:

Place everything in a food processor and puree it. To save time on chopping you can throw it all in the food processor too. Pulse/Blend for a good 2 -3 minutes or so.

Place in a pan, heat very slowly on low flame till everything browns. Keep stirring occasionally and lower the heat to avoid burning the garlic.

 When consistency and quality is enough stop the cooking process. Take it off the pan and crush the cooked chili garlic mixture into another bowl with a little soy sauce.

  Mix well until you achieved a paste like quality.

  

 Top it on siomai and other kinds of dimsum products. Add some toyomansi mix or Soy sauce and squeezed calamansi (philippine lime) on top.

Japanese Style Siomai

Pork, Japanese style and beef siomais with my sweet chil garlic sauce on top. Perfect!

I used the ready made Puregold ‘s Negosyo Pack Assorted Dimsum Platter because it  tastes good, saves me time and money. For 145 pesos, it consists of 54 pieces of siomai in three varieties Japanese style (wrapped in nori sheet) pork and beef. It is a very convenient way to enjoy dimsum at home without the hassle of making one.  Puregold ‘s Negosyo Pack Assorted Dimsum Platter is perfect for parties and a god business idea too. Also available in separate packs (still 54pieces) of pork and beef variety.