Chili sauce and paste


Chili-based sauces and pastes are condiments prepared with chili peppers.
Chili sauce may be hot, sweet or a combination thereof, and may differ from hot sauce in that many sweet or mild varieties exist, which is typically lacking in hot sauces. Several varieties of chili sauce include sugar in their preparation, such as the Thai sweet chili sauce and Filipino agre dulce, which adds sweetness to their flavor profile. Sometimes, chili sauces are prepared with red tomato as primary ingredients. Chili sauce may have a thicker texture and viscosity when compared to that of hot sauces.
Chili paste usually refers to a paste where the main ingredient is chili pepper. Some are used as a cooking ingredient, while others are used to season a dish after preparation. Some are fermented with beans, as in Chinese doubanjiang, and some are prepared with powdered fermented beans, as in Korean gochujang. There are different regional varieties of chili paste and also within the same cuisine.
Chili sauces and pastes can be used as a dipping sauce, cooking glaze and marinade. Many commercial varieties of mass-produced chili sauce and paste exist.

Ingredients

Ingredients typically include puréed or chopped chili peppers, vinegar, sugar and salt that are cooked, which thickens the mixture. Additional ingredients may include, water, garlic, other foodstuffs, corn syrup, spices and seasonings. Some varieties use ripe red puréed tomato as the primary ingredient.

Varieties

East Asia

China

Chinese chili sauces usually come as a thick paste, and are used either as a dipping sauce or in stir frying.
Dou ban sauce, originates from Szechuan cuisine in which chilis are used liberally. It is made from broad bean or soybean paste, and usually contain a fair amount of chili. Often referred to in English as chili bean sauce. Pao la jiao or yu la jiao, dipped chili or fish chili, is made by pickling whole, fresh red chilis in a brine solution; this sauce is the key ingredient in the famous Sichuan dish Yúxiāng ròusī, julienned pork in fish fragrance sauce. The key to this pickle is to add a live crucian carp to the pickling pot along with the chilis, hence the name fish chili. The carp is supposed to lend its fragrance and umami to the pickle.
Chili oil, Làjiāoyóu or hóngyóu, is another distinctive Sichuan flavoring found mainly in cold dishes, as well as a few hot dishes. Chili oil or Lahtt Sauce is made by pouring hot oil onto a bowl of dried chilies, to which some Sichuan pepper is usually added. After steeping in hot oil for at least a few hours, the oil takes on the taste and fragrance of chili. The finer the chili is ground, the stronger the flavor
Guilin chili sauce is made of fresh chili, garlic and fermented soybeans; it also is marketed as soy chili sauce. Duò jiāo sauce originates from Hunan cuisine, which is reputed to be even spicier than Sichuan cuisine. Duo means chopped, and jiao means chili. Duo jiao is made of chopped red chilis pickled in a brine solution, and has a salty and sour pickled taste; it is the key flavoring in the signature Hunan dish duòjiāo yútóu, fish head steamed with chopped chili.
XO sauce is spicy seafood sauce from Hong Kong. It is commonly used in southern Chinese regions like Guangdong province.
Yongfeng chili sauce is a traditional fermented hot sauce.

Japan

or La Yu chili oil, is the same as la jiao you, and is often used for dishes such as gyoza. Shichimi tōgarashi is a seven in one ingredient spicy seasoning mixes, with chili, used for many soups and foods, such as udon. Ichimi tōgarashi is cayenne pepper powder. Okinawa - Kōrēgūsu, made of chilis infused in awamori rice spirit, is a popular condiment to Okinawan dishes such as Okinawa soba. It refers to Goguryeo.
, or red chili paste, is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment made with chili powder, glutinous rice flour, meju powder, barley malt powder, and salt. The sweetness comes from the starch of cooked glutinous rice, cultured with saccharifying enzymes during the fermentation process. Traditionally, it has been naturally fermented over years in jangdok on an elevated stone platform, called jangdokdae, in the backyard.

Southeast Asia

Laos

is a generic term for many varieties of chili-based sauces popular in Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Most of sambals are traditionally made using stone pestle and mortar, according to each recipe. Nevertheless, there are some bottled mass-produced sambal brands today. Saus Cabai or Sos Cili, a category of its own, uses tomato puree, chili juice, sugar, salt and some other spices or seasonings to give the spicy, but not too hot, taste. Some countryside commercial varieties use bird's eye chili together with its seeds to raise the level of heat of the sauce. Variants include the typical concoctions with ginger and garlic and variants that are made into gummy consistency as with ketchup/tomato sauce.
In Indonesia, the bottled commercially available chili sauce is known as bottled saus cabai. They are also commonly known as bottled sambal. However, unlike the coarse textured and richly flavored traditional sambal, this bottled sambal or chili sauce has an even gloppy texture similar to those of tomato sauce, and rather simple hot flavor. Unlike traditional sambal, enrichened with shrimp paste, the commercial sambal sauce usually uses finely blended red chili pepper and garlic, and sometimes a little bit of sugar, without any addition of shrimp paste.

Philippines

The generic term for dipping sauces in the Philippines is sawsawan, which may or may not include chilis. Unlike sauces in other Southeast Asian regions, most sawsawan are not prepared beforehand, but has to be assembled on the table according to the preferences of the diner. As such, chilis are usually optional. However, there are also native sauces and pastes which utilize chilis as main ingredients.
The most common is the traditional Filipino sweet and sour sauce known as agre dulce which is made from cornstarch, salt, sugar, labuyo chilis, and tomato or banana ketchup. It is the traditional dipping sauces of fried dishes like lumpia or okoy.
A similar sauce used for fried street food appetizers is known simply as "manong's sauce" or "fishball sauce". It is named after manong, a term of respect used for an older man in Tagalog and the most common way of addressing street food vendors. It is made with flour or cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, labuyo chilis, ground pepper, and muscovado or brown sugar. Lime or lemon-flavored carbonated softdrinks may also be used.
Another spicy condiment used for street food is the "siomai sauce" or "chili garlic sauce". It is usually eaten with Philippine siomai. It uses minced labuyo chilis, garlic, and powdered dried shrimp or finely minced meat simmered in water and then oil. It is typically spritzed with calamansi before eating.
Among the Maranao people, another notable condiment is the palapa, a very spicy condiment made from sakurab, ginger, turmeric, and labuyo chilis. It is an ubiquitous accompaniment to Maranao meals.

Thailand

Thais put raw chilies on a very wide variety of food, in lieu of chili sauces. Chili sauces are eaten as condiments but they can also be used as an ingredient.
Nam phrik is the generic name for a Thai chili dip or paste. A Thai cookbook from 1974 lists over 100 different recipes. Nam phrik phao, nam phrik num and nam phrik kapi are some of the more well-known varieties. Many Thai dipping sauces contain chili peppers. Nam chim chaeo uses ground dried chili peppers to achieve its spiciness. Available worldwide is nam chim kai, also known as "chili sauce for chicken" or "Thai sweet chili sauce". Phrik nam pla is fish sauce with chopped raw chilies, lime juice and sometimes garlic. Sriracha sauce is a Thai chili sauce, originally from the town of Si Racha, Thailand.
Sriracha sauce is a type of hot sauce or chili sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. It is named after the coastal city of Si Racha, in the Chonburi Province of Eastern Thailand, where it was possibly first produced for dishes served at local seafood restaurants.
A type of chili sauce is Thai sweet chili sauce, which is used as a dipping sauce, a marinade, and for cooking, such as in stir fried dishes. The company Mae Ploy is a major manufacturer of Thai sweet chili sauce. Most major supermarket chain stores in North America carry Thai sweet chili sauce. Sweet chili sauce is used in Thai cuisine, and is also sometimes used in the preparation of sushi.
Some versions of Nam phrik, a range of chili-based, hot sauces typical of Thai cuisine, are sweetened with sugar.

Vietnam

Vietnamese hot sauce is made from sun-ripened chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. It is very popular in Vietnamese cuisine, often used in a wide variety of foods.

South Asia

Chili, fresh, semi-dried or dried, is a crucial ingredient throughout South Asia, with multiple strains having arrived through Portuguese trade from the sixteenth century. Many varieties are now popular in different parts of the sub-continent such as Naga Chilli from Nagaland, Chamba Chukh from Himachal Pradesh, Guntur Chilli from Andhra Pradesh, Jwala Chilli from Gujarat among others. Hot sauces proper, however, were not common until recent decades, as varieties such as bhut jolokia and naga morich attained global fame.
is a style found in Yemen and neighbouring countries.
Shatta, literally “hot sauce”, is a Middle Eastern chili sauce made of red chili, vinegar, salt, and garlic.

Levant

Shatta is a popular hot sauce made from wholly grounded fresh chili peppers by mixing them with oil. Vinegar, garlic, or other spices are commonly added. There are two varieties of Shatta: green and red. The red variety is made with tomatoes. It is made from piri piri, or similarly hot peppers. The degree of hotness varies according to the type of chili used and preference of the maker. Commonly used in falafel sandwiches, hummus dishes, or as a condiment. Muhammara is a hot pepper dip made from Aleppo pepper, ground walnuts, dried bread, and olive oil. Other spices and flavorings may be added. It is served as a dip or spread for bread or as a sauce for fish and meat. The dish is also known in Turkey, where it may be called acuka.

Maghreb

is a popular hot sauce used in Tunisia and elsewhere in the Maghreb. It is usually made from ground red birdseye chili peppers with olive oil, garlic, cumin and coriander although caraway is sometimes used instead of cumin and recipes vary. The sauce is of a dark red grainy texture. It is sometimes spread on bread rolls but also used as a condiment with a variety of meals. Tunisian Harissa is much hotter than that found in neighboring countries. Cap Bon is a popular brand of Harissa. Harissa is often sold in tin cans. Harissa is also popular in Israel, on account of immigration of Maghrebi Jews.

Turkey

is produced by grinding fresh peppers with garlic, coriander, and sometimes other ingredients. It is popular both in Yemen and in Israel, where it was brought by Yemenite Jews, and where it is called סחוג s'khug.

Africa

Malawi

is a style of piri piri chili sauce.

South Africa

Peri Peri sauce is a style of piri piri chili sauce used by Nando's Chicken fast food restaurants.

Tunisia

is a chili paste based on roasted red peppers and olive oil, seasoned with garlic, coriander seed and other herbs.

Europe

Hungary

Erős Pista and Piros Arany hot pepper paste, both made from minced hot paprika ; paprika is commonly grown in Hungary and both hot and mild paprika are in common usage there.

Portugal

Piri piri is the popular chili sauce; the term "piri piri" came to English through the Portuguese language through contact with Portuguese Mozambique.

Oceania

New Zealand

Many influences reflecting the increasingly diverse ethnicity of its population. Common styles available in supermarkets are:
The Pacific Islands are influenced by Asian and European cuisines. Hot chili sauce is a thick Chinese style sauce. Sweet chili sauce is a Thai style sweet dipping sauce. Peri Peri sauce is a Portuguese style piri piri sauce.

South America

and Bolivian medium hot, frutal rocoto sauces are popular.