Chili garlic sauce is often served as a dipping sauce at dim sum houses, and is also great with pan-fried noodles and pho. In this article, we’ll talk more about this ingredient!
What Is Chili Garlic Sauce?
Chili garlic sauce is made with chili peppers, garlic, rice vinegar, and salt.
The sauce is spicy, tangy, and fragrant. It’s similar in flavor to Sriracha, but the texture is chunky rather than smooth, with chili pepper pieces and seeds still visible in the sauce.
How Is It Used?
We use chili garlic sauce as a dipping sauce for dim sum dishes (in addition to chili oil), as well as a sauce for pan-fried noodles or dumplings. While chili oil has a toasted, spicy flavor, chili garlic sauce offers zip from the addition of garlic as well as tang and sharpness from the vinegar in it.
Buying & Storing
We use all types of chili sauces and oils––made in China and Southeast Asian countries. For this particular style of chili garlic sauce, we usually buy this Huy Fong Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce.
Make sure you’re actually buying chili garlic sauce, and not just chili sauce, pictured below (though if you have a garlic allergy, plain chili sauce is a good alternative).
This brand can easily be found in any Asian market, or even in some regular supermarkets. It will keep in the fridge for months, right alongside your mayonnaise and ketchup. Just use a clean utensil anytime you dip into the jar.
If you have further questions about chili garlic sauce, let us know in the comments––we try to answer every single one.
