We all love a side of ketchup with our French fries or maybe a lovely sweet and chilli dip to go with a spring roll, don’t we?
Well, what’s better than making your own sauce or dip at home? Free from preservatives and of course, any day better than the store-bought condiments!
Here are 6 delicious sauce and condiment recipes to try at home:
1. Ketchup
Ingredients:
- 9 ripe tomatoes
- ¼ cup brown sugar or honey or maple syrup
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt ( adjust to taste)
Recipe:
Blanch tomatoes – Put your tomatoes into a pot of boiling water for 60–90 seconds. Once the tomato skins split open, transfer the tomatoes into a bowl of ice water to cool. After taking them out, you’ll find the skin is easy to strip away from the rest of the tomato.
Puree – Cool down the tomatoes completely, and transfer to the blender. Puree the tomatoes without adding any water. Using a fine filter, extract the tomato puree separating the seeds and skin of the tomatoes.
Cook – In a saucepan, add in the tomato puree, sugar, vinegar, and spices. Mix well. Cook on low for 30-40 minutes or until desired consistency. Stir occasionally.
Store – Let it cool completely before you store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
2. Sweet Chili Sauce – as a dipping sauce, marinades, adding flavour and spice to your meats and vegetables.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 teaspoon dried red chilies flakes
(use more or less according to your preference) - 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 5 garlic cloves – finely chopped
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sugar or honey
- 1 tbsp corn flour + 2 tbsp water( mix to create a corn flour slurry)
Recipe:
Add rice vinegar, water, garlic, sugar, chilies and soy sauce into a saucepan and heat over medium heat while stirring to dissolve the sugar. When it starts to bubble, add in the corn flour slurry (premixed with the water, without lumps) and mix well so that it doesn’t clump. Let it cool completely and it’s then ready to use. Store in the refrigerator for up to two months.
3. Peanut Sauce – can be used as a dip, dressing, a marinade or on noodles.
- 1/3 cup peanut butter (creamy) – homemade peanut butter
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
- ½ tsp sesame seeds
Recipe:
Add in all the ingredients into a bowl (except the water) and give it a good mix. Then, little by little add in the water, until the mixture turns into a sauce or dip like consistency. Mix well and it is ready to use. If you want the peanut sauce to be spicy then add in 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Keep it in a air tight container for up to 2 weeks.
4. Honey Mustard Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
(Or diluted white vinegar) - 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
Recipe:
Into a mixing bowl, add in all the ingredients and give it a good mix. It is ready to use, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, in the refrigerator.
5. Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients:
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp corn flour + 2 tsp water, mixed together
Recipe:
Into a saucepan, add in all the ingredients and cook on medium heat for a few minutes. Being it to a boil, stir continuously, until the mixture thickens into a sauce-like consistency. Turn off the heat and let it cool completely and it is then ready to use.
6. Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Recipe:
Into a bowl, add all the ingredients and mix it well. It is ready to use, store in an airtight container for up to 1 week, in the refrigerator.