Spicy Sauce
Every autumn, this aromatic spicy chili sauce is a must-make: it’s fragrant, fiery, and incredibly appetizing, perfect as a side dish. Enjoy it straight, use it to season stir-fries, or toss it into cold dishes for bright, fresh flavor with a deeply satisfying spicy kick. Autumn brings fully ripe, affordable, high-quality chili peppers, so homemade batches are totally authentic, cost-effective, and taste even better than store-bought versions. Since peppers are at their peak ripeness right now, make a large batch to last you all winter long.
Ingredients
Red chili peppers
1250g
White sesame seeds
120g
Garlic
250g
Oil
250g
Salt
to taste
Doubanjiang (broad bean paste)
1袋
Crushed peanuts
to taste
MSG
50g
Sugar
to taste
Instructions
1
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients: remove the stems from the red chili peppers, wash them, and drain well. If you can handle heat well, use all red chili peppers; my family can't tolerate too much spice, so I used half red chili peppers and half milder red peppers—adjust to your taste. Roast the peanuts and remove the skins. You can place them in a food bag and crush them with a rolling pin, or use a food processor. Roast the white sesame seeds until fragrant.
2
Step 2
Peel and wash the garlic, then drain well and set aside.
3
Step 3
Cut the peppers into small sections and place them in a deep bowl. Use a food processor to grind them. I'm using a simple food processor, but any crushing equipment works. If you don't have any, you can chop them by hand—it just takes more time. When cutting peppers, dip the knife in cold water first to avoid eye irritation.
4
Step 4
Smash the garlic with a knife first, then grind it in a food processor.
5
Step 5
Take a large bowl and add all ingredients except the MSG, including the crushed peppers, crushed garlic, crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, doubanjiang, sugar, and salt.
6
Step 6
Gently mix all ingredients evenly.
7
Step 7
Add 250g oil to a wok and heat it up. Any vegetable oil works—no special requirement—but the more fragrant the oil, the better for chili oil.
8
Step 8
Slowly pour in the prepared chili sauce and stir-fry. Oil will splash during cooking, so wear an apron and gloves to avoid burns. It's best to lay newspaper around the wok for easy cleanup—just roll it up and throw it away.
9
Step 9
Stir-fry over high heat for about 20 minutes, until there's no more moisture. Turn off the heat and add the MSG. The recipe calls for MSG, but since I didn't have any at home, I used mushroom powder—about 50g. Taste it and adjust until the flavor is savory enough.
10
Step 10
Once cooled, transfer to a prepared glass container with a sealed lid or a porcelain basin, and refrigerate. Friends who enjoy this should give it a try—it's both a dish and a delicious seasoning. Add a little to cold dishes or stir-fries, and you'll find it goes wonderfully with rice.
