Schezwan Sauce Recipe

 

Prep time

35 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Recipe type: side

Cuisine: indo chinese

Serves: makes a small jar

Ingredients (american measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

• 20 dry red chilies (less hot or medium hot. i added a mix of 15 kashmiri & 4-5 byadagi dry red chilies)
• 4 to 5 shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 15 garlic cloves/lahsun, finely chopped
• 1 inch ginger/adrak, finely chopped
• 2 to 2.5 tbsp water for grinding the red chilies
• ½ cup water to be added later
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar or white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 3 to 4 sichuan peppers, optional (skip if you don't have)
• ½ tbsp finely chopped celery, optional (skip if you don't have)
• 1 to 2 tsp organic unrefined cane sugar or brown sugar, please add as required. for a more sweeter taste, you can even add up to 3 tsp sugar.
• ¼ to ½ tsp black pepper powder or as required
• ½ tsp light soy sauce or as required
• 3 to 4 tbsp sesame oil or any vegetable oil
• salt as required

Instructions

1. rinse and then soak the chilies in hot water for 30 minutes.
2. you can also de-seed the chilies before you soak them.
3. drain. remove the stems and then break the chilies. add them to a chutney grinder or blender. add water and make a smooth paste of the red chilies.
4. crush the sichuan peppers coarsely in a mortar-pestle.
5. heat sesame oil or any other vegetable oil in a pan.
6. add the garlic and ginger first and saute till their raw aroma goes away. don't brown them.
7. add the chopped shallots and then saute them till translucent.
8. add the ground red chili paste and stir.
9. then add the crushed sichuan pepper. saute for 1 to 2 minutes more till you see oil from the sides of the sauce.
10. add ½ cup of water and give a stir again. simmer for 2 mins.
11. add salt, pepper, soy sauce and vinegar. also add celery now, if using.
12. stir and continue to cook for 5 to 6 minutes more.
13. check the taste, and add more salt, sugar or pepper as required.
14. once the schezuan sauce cools down collect it in a small jar or bowl.
15. cover tightly with a lid and refrigerate.
16. serve schezwan sauce as a condiment with snacks or you can also add in recipes like schezwan fried rice or noodles, vegetable schezwan or veg balls in hot garlic sauce.
17. the sauce stays good for about 2 to 3 weeks in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.