Schezwan Sauce

               Today I am back to blogging after a really long time and posting a really simple, but a versatile sauce recipe. Schezwan Sauce is widely used in Indo-Chinese cuisine, it has a very unique flavor and can enhance any dish. It is a blend of  mainly red chilies, garlic and ginger. It is a simple sauce with minimal ingredients and very easy to make.
             
               There are a variety of red chilies available in the market, you can choose to use any of them depending on your preference, and how spicy you want it to be. My personal preference is a combination of some fresh peppers and some dried chilies. This sauce can be used for making noodles, manchurian, fried rice or as a simple stir fry sauce too for Asian dishes.

Here is my version for this simple, yet delicious Schezwan sauce recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup red chili paste
• 12-15 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup finely chopped Onions
• 2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 2 tsp white Vinegar 
• 1 tsp Soy sauce
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp Oil

Instructions:

•  For the red Chili paste, I used a combination of fresh red jalapenos, dry red Kashmiri chilies, and dry Thai chilies.
• Soak the chilies in hot water for 30 minutes. Then drain the chilies, de-seed them and grind them to a smooth paste. Add little water, if needed, while grinding. Keep the paste aside.

• Heat the oil in the pan.
• Add the garlic and ginger. Saute them until the raw smell of the garlic goes away. 

• Make sure the garlic is not brown.

• Now add the onions. Saute the onions until they are translucent.

• Then add the chili paste. Saute the paste for 3-4 minutes or until the oil separates from the side.

• Now add the soy sauce, vinegar, salt, black pepper, sugar and 1/2 cup water and mix it well.

• Let it cook for another 5-6 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

• Once it is cooled, store it an air-tight container. The sauce will stay good for about 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

• If you want to store it for a longer time, you can also freeze the sauce
• I generally keep a small container in refrigerator for daily use and freeze the rest 

Tomato Pepper Sauce

               My husband is a big fan of spicy food. Be it entrees, snacks or sauces, he prefers them to be really spicy. But at the same time, he doesn't like the one available in the stores as they are either too tangy for his taste or just the heat without any flavor. I ended up with more than 5 varieties of hot sauces in my refrigerator as he keeps buying different ones to find the right sauce for him.
                His passion for hot sauces motivated me to prepare it at home with the flavor, spiciness and the consistency that he likes. Here is my attempt at making the hot sauce:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups chopped Tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped Onions
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 4 Jalapenos peppers
• 2-3 Serrano peppers
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp distilled White Vinegar
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

• Chop the peppers. The seeds are the spiciest so you can either remove all the seeds or use according to the heat desired
• Heat the Olive oil in a pan over medium heat
• Add chopped garlic and saute it for a minute, then add the onions and the peppers
• Saute it till the onions are soft and translucent 
• Now add the tomatoes, vinegar, lemon juice and salt 
• Cook until the tomatoes begin to soften 
• Then, transfer the mixture to a blender and puree it until smooth. Be very careful while pouring the hot mixture into the blender
• Now, sieve the puree using a fine sieve and extract out all the liquid. Use a wooden spoon to push away the solids
• Let the sauce cool to the room temperatures for about 1.5 – 2 hours before serving 
• You may freeze the sauce for a couple of months and use as needed. 
• I generally have a small container in refrigerator for daily use and freeze the rest so that it lasts longer 

Cilantro Chutney

         Cilantro chutney is a simple refreshing dip that can be used with a variety of grilled and fried dishes. It is also widely used as a spread for making sandwiches. A slice of bread with a little butter and cilantro chutney makes a great snack.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped Cilantro
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 4-5 Green Chilies
• 1 tsp finely chopped Ginger
• 8-10 Mint Leaves
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• Salt as per taste

Instructions:

• Add chillies, ginger, salt, sugar, lemon juice to the blender
• Then add cilantro and mint leaves
• Add little water if necessary. I generally prefer not to add water
• The consistency of the chutney should be like a spread and should be finely blended

Note:

• Ginger and Mint leaves are optional
• Green Chilies should be added as per the spiciness desired
• You can adjust the spice quantities according to your taste. We prefer our chutney to be spicy, but you can make it tangier or sweeter.
• I usually make it in a large quantity and freeze it in ice cube trays, or a container. Whenever needed, I defrost the chutney and use
• One important point here, if we freeze it right after making it, it will retain its bright green color and freshness.