Asian Sweet-Hot Chili Sauce

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 7 chili peppers (Carolina Reapers, Trinidad Scorpions or Habaneros)
• 5 chili peppers
• 150 ml apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp cane sugar
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 onion(s)
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp ginger
• 200 g tomato paste
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 tsp lime juice
• 3 stalks of Thai basil
• 2 kaffir lime leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

Asian-style chili sauce made from Carolina Reapers with cane sugar and tomato paste

Deseed and quarter the chili peppers. Roughly chop the garlic, onion, and ginger. Remove the Thai basil leaves from the stems (we only need the leaves). Combine all of the above ingredients—except 50 ml of vinegar and the lime juice—in a tall saucepan and bring to a boil. Now transfer everything to a sealable blender and puree. Thin the sauce with a little water to the desired consistency. Add the remaining vinegar and the lime juice and carefully season the sauce with it—warning: it’s spicy! Bring everything to a boil again briefly at the end. Note: Some of the vinegar must be added at the end, as the cooking process reduces the acidity of the vinegar. For shelf life, some of the vinegar must be added at the end. The pH of the sauce should be 4.2, which can be verified with litmus paper (available at any pharmacy). CAUTION: Always wear gloves and, if necessary, safety goggles when handling such spicy chili peppers. Even brief contact with the nose, eyes, or other mucous membranes is very painful. Ensure good ventilation when cooking. The rising fumes (especially if the chili peppers are fried beforehand) can also be very unpleasant.