Daddy's Chilli Sauce

[Jack Bounder]

I'm a bit of a chilli fiend. I make up this recipe to have with just about every meal. It takes about 3 minutes to cook.

* Take a small saucepan and add sunflower oil to a depth of about 2mm.
* Pour in dried chilli flakes while stirring the oil until they are covered. There shouldn't be too much oil remaining which isn't attached to the chilli flakes.
* Turn on the heat (high) and stir fry the chilli flakes until they are just about to turn black
* Add white wine vinegar to cover the flakes - at this point a choking cloud of fumes completely fills the house and everyone starts coughing
* Add a good squeeze of tomato puree and stir it in.
* Add water to achieve the right consistency.
* Add salt to taste.
* Bring to the boil and serve - a couple of table spoons per meal.

I leave the sauce in a covered saucepan. Each evening I bring the sauce to a rapid boil and then serve. It lasts about a week. You need to add water each time to get the consistency right.

 

[Mesquite]

Why don't you bottle it?

You've got all the ingredients and process for successfully doing so and it would last longer

 

[Jack Bounder]

I could do but it takes so little time to make it fresh, it isn't necessary. One batch lasts a week. I would only need to bottle it if I intended selling it.

Chilli sauce seems to cost a fortune. I go to an local Asian supermarket every few months to buy 25kg of rice and a 1.5kg of chilli flakes. The latter makes for a cheap sauce. Also, I find the supermarket stuff often isn't that hot...despite the claims on the label.

I avoid chilli powder after the reports of red boot polish being added.