Fresh Raw Chilli sauce : A super spicy useful condiment

I love ALL chilli sauces. Most often I use my classic Sichuan hot chilli oil to add heat and flavour. However, when I can get my hands on fresh red and green chillies, I love to make this Fresh Raw Chilli Sauce. It is really spicy, fragrant and can be used in so many ways.

A simple recipe

Aside from the chillies, there are only a couple of other ingredients. As with my classic chilli oil, I want the taste of the fresh chillies to be the focus. So the type of chillies you pick is important because it determines the spice levels and pungency of the sauce.

The Green Chillies

I specifically chose long green chillies for this sauce due to the complex vegetal flavour that it brings. Green chillies usually has a lovely bitter note because it’s basically an unripe red chilli.

Depending on the variety that you pick, they can also pack a good amount of heat. So if you are like me, a spice lover, choose a green chilli that is skinnier, such as a Cayenne pepper, which packs more seeds and thus more heat. However, if you want to temper the spice levels, choose a green chilli that is fatter and larger, like a Jalapeño or a Serrano pepper.

The Red Chillies

Obviously, red chillies will compliment the green chillies in terms of colours. But more importantly, I pick the red Thai chillies aka. Bird’s eye chillies for its intense heat. For that reason, the ratio of green to red chillies is 2:1.

You can of course substitute the Thai bird’s eye chilli for a milder red variety, but I quite like this fresh raw chilli sauce to be super pungent. It is used as a condiment, therefore, I’m after a strong intense flavour that’ll lend itself well to various applications.

Other aromatic

Copious amount of raw garlic is also used in the making of this Fresh raw chilli sauce. Again, I’m after a strong flavour that will continue to develop as it sits in the fridge so I highly recommend using lots of aromatic garlic cloves to add interest to the otherwise heat packed sauce.

Ginger is used to add fragrance and a deeper, earthier warmth to compliment the pungent raw chilli heat. You won’t need as much of it as garlic but including some will make the sauce more well rounded.

Salt and other seasonings

To keep the focal point on the chillies, the main seasoning used is salt. Plenty of salt. The salt helps to ground the heat and it acts as a preservative so the sauce will last longer. So don’t be shy with it.

As well, a touch of Chinese black vinegar is added to balance out some of the heat. use a rice vinegar if you don’t have the Chinese black vinegar on hand.

Finally, add some MSG if you choose to do so. It’ll boost the umami flavours of this fresh raw chilli sauce by ten folds.

Various ways to use this chilli sauce

As mentioned before, there are many ways to use this fresh raw chilli sauce.

1. Eat it straight up with white rice or noodles or on top of a boiled egg, for a quick and super spicy meal.

2. Add chopped green onions and cilantro to a bit of the sauce and turn it into a dipping salsa for meats like lamb.

3. Add a spoon or 2 to stir frys to amp up the heat factor.

4. Use it as a part of a marinade for a spicy grilled chicken or pork.

How to store it

Once it has cooled down completely. spoon it into air tight jars and put it into the fridge. Always use a clean utensil, each time as you take it out of the jar and this sauce will last refrigerated for 2-3 weeks.