Thai Chili Sauce

I have always liked sweet & spicy thai chili sauce but never considered making my own until recently. My mother-in-law brought over a dish that she usually serves with store-bought thai sauce, which she forgot at home.

I made it in under 20 minutes.  Doing it yourself allows you to modify the sugar content, control the spice and you can be sure that the ingredients are fresh.

This recipe works well with coconut sugar - you can easily get away with less than one cup. You can also try a slurry of gluten-free flour or tapioca flour as a thickener instead of cornstarch if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup rice vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons hot chili pepper flakes                               
• 2 teaspoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch (mixed with about 1 TB of cold water)         

Directions

1. In a saucepan over high heat, bring water and vinegar to a boil. Stir in sugar, ginger, garlic, chili pepper, and ketchup.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Stir in cornstarch. Remove saucepan from stove to cool. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed.