Name: Sweet Chili Sauce
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Ingredients: 1 red bell pepper , stemmed, seeded, and chopped coarse; 2 garlic cloves; ½ cup plus 1 teaspoon water , divided; ½ cup sugar; ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar; 2-3 teaspoons sambal oelek; ¼ teaspoon table salt; 1½ teaspoons cornstarch; ½ teaspoon fish sauce

Why This Recipe Works

Our riff on this sweet and spicy condiment, popular across Southeast Asia and an excellent choice for lumpiang Shanghai, is based on fruity red bell pepper. A generous glug of vinegar, a dash of fish sauce, and sambal oelek flavor the sauce. Instead of relying on an excess of sugar to give the sauce its signature viscosity, we stir in a cornstarch slurry during the final seconds of cooking.

Before You Begin

Use the full 3 teaspoons of sambal oelek for a spicier sauce; if you prefer, you can substitute sriracha, which will produce a more garlicky sauce.

Instructions

Pulse bell pepper and garlic in food processor until finely chopped, 15 to 20 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Transfer to medium saucepan. Add ½ cup water, sugar, vinegar, sambal oelek, and salt and bring to boil over high heat. Adjust heat to maintain simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1⅓ cups, 7 to 10 minutes. (Mixture will foam as it reduces.)

Stir together cornstarch, fish sauce, and remaining 1 teaspoon water. Stir cornstarch mixture into bell pepper mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, about 30 seconds. Transfer to airtight container. Let cool completely, about 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.