A homemade sweet and spicy sauce with a garlicky kick. Great on tofu, seafood, and poultry dishes. Easy and done in minutes. Always a winner.
Yield: about 1 cup (240 ml)
Time: 5 minutes + cooling
Ingredients:
- 5 Tbsp water
- 5 Tbsp sugar or to taste
- 5 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp rice wine
- 1 tsp sambal oelek or sriracha
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved into 1 Tbsp water
- 5 Tbsp water
- 5 Tbsp sugar or to taste
- 5 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp rice wine
- 1 tsp sambal oelek or sriracha
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved into 1 Tbsp water

Sambal Oelek is an Indonesian chile paste consisting of crushed raw red chiles, red and green peppers, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, vinegar and a pinch each of sugar and salt. A flavorful condiment and ingredient in cooked foods. It tastes like you are cooking with fresh chiles – only better.
Sambal Oelek is available in the Asian food section of supermarkets or Asian food stores. One tablespoon is roughly the equivalent of a chopped, small jalapeño. Sambal Oelek aficionados prepare their own of course.
Preparation:
Add water, sugar, rice vinegar, rice wine, sambal oelek, garlic, ginger and soy sauce to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixed with water and continue cooking until sauce has slightly thickened. About 5 minutes. Taste for seasonings and adjust sweetness and spiciness to your palate. Sauce will continue to condense while cooling down. Let it cool completely.
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