The sticky-sweet-hot dip, homemade: fresh chili and garlic in a rice-vinegar syrup, thickened to a glossy cling.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
8
3
🌶️ Red Chili ›
red, minced (seeds in for heat)
3 cloves
🧄 Garlic ›
minced
120 ml
🍶 Rice Vinegar ›
100 g
🍬 Sugar ›
1 tsp
🧂 Salt ›
1 tbsp
❄️ Cornstarch ›
slurried in 2 tbsp water
Add all to shopping list
Mise en place
Before you start
5m
Prep
10m
Cook
15m
Total
—
Serves
Yield: About 300 ml
Equipment
Small saucepan
Whisk
Prep checklist
Red Chili — red, minced (seeds in for heat)
Garlic — minced
Cornstarch — slurried in 2 tbsp water
2 steps
Method
1
Simmer vinegar, sugar, salt, chili, and garlic 5 minutes until the garlic softens and the syrup smells bright.
2
Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and simmer 1 minute until glossy and clinging. Cool — it thickens further.
From the chef
Notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Airtight jar in the fridge, 3–5 days. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of starch-thickened sauces to stop a skin forming.
Freezing
Most sauces freeze 2–3 months; freeze in ice-cube trays for single portions. Emulsified butter/egg sauces don't freeze — they break on thawing.
Reheating
Reheat gently over low heat, whisking; butter- and egg-based sauces split when boiled. Loosen with a spoonful of warm water or stock.
Make ahead
Most sauces keep 3–5 days refrigerated and freeze in ice-cube trays for instant single portions. Emulsified butter sauces are best made within the hour.