Sweet Chili Sauce
From sweet chili sauce |
Recently when I made and canned atsarang papaya, I ended up with extra brine that I did not feel like dumping. But since I had no plans to make additional atsara or other pickles at the time, I could not bring myself up to storing the brine in the fridge either. Voicing these concerns to my older son, he came up with a brilliant suggestion. "Ma, why don't we make sweet chili sauce out of it?" Now why I had not thought of that myself, I have no idea! But thanks to my son, I made our own canned sweet chili sauce. I need not say it was cheaper to do this, since I did not have to travel 2 hrs to get them, and I have all the ingredients right in my pantry/freezer, and I actually avoided wasting the brine from making atsara! I am sure, with my experience in pickling that adding the ingredients below will not affect the pH negatively, so that the outcome will most likely last in the shelf for as long as one year. I was able to come up with 5 (8-oz) and 3 (4-oz) jars of sweet chili sauce (I like using small jars so I can easily chuck the leftovers whenever we use them).
My son will probably be a good cook...
Ingredients:
leftover brine from atsarang papaya (less than 2 quarts)
handful of frozen green and red bell peppers, chopped
1 thumb-sized ginger, sliced or julienned
1 tsp dried chili flakes (I got from Spice of Life)
tapioca flour (as needed, mixed with cold brine or water for thickening)
Method:
Boil the brine to rolling boil. Add the spices and cook 5 minutes. Slowly add in thin streams the tapioca dissolved in cold brine or water, constantly stirring the mixture, until you achieve the desired consistency. Keep on low heat when canning.
Place in sterilized jars and leave 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Cover with lids and bands fingertight. Invert for 5 minutes then set upright to completely cool. Those that will not pop in need to be refrigerated and used within two weeks.
Your canned goods cupboard is amazing! I'd love to try this recipe but first, I need to practice canning which I've never done before. I'm afraid that if I don't do it properly, I may end up poisoning someone! Your son has an instinct for food - he'll definitely make a great cook someday, if he hasn't already started!
ReplyDeleteI think he's just gonna be like you. That was a brilliant idea. Ako rin, I never would have thought of that.
ReplyDeletehi manang...i wish we were neighbours so i have you nearby to teach me your tips and tricks on cooking....i'm impressed with the things you come up with...unfortunately, super layo ata ng New Zealand sa Maine hehe
ReplyDeleteI have done canning before with my mother in law but I never tried doing it just by myself. Maybe when I have the guts I will borrow all the canning material she has and make some atsara :-)
ReplyDeleteTN, just browse that link on canning and home preservation and you will never go wrong.
ReplyDeleteliza,
my son already has lots of experiments with food that sometimes seem so weird to me! Who knows, his ideas may appeal to other people...
hi Christine,
I do wish some of my friends here are my neighbors. The nearest is 15 minutes away, so even if I feel like sharing a pritong isda with atsara for lunch, I cannot just do it in a whim!
If you were my neighbor, I will definitely enjoy sharing/exchanging tips and tricks with you.
Claire,
ReplyDeleteJust do it! Get some tips also from the home preservation and canning links I have on my right sidebar.
Sweet chili sauce, love it
ReplyDeleteASK KO LANG PO ASIDE FROM GRATER ANO PA PO ANG PWEDENG PANG GADGAD NG CASSAVA?ANY PARTICULAR BRAND.SALAMAT PO
ReplyDeleteHI Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteNakagamit na ako ng cuisinart pero bumili ako ng extra set ng discs para lang sa grater. Mabilis sya at effective, at hindi ako napagod. Mahal nga lang inabot.