SCHEZWAN CHUTNEY

 Schezwan chutney / sauce needs no special introduction. I am always carried away by the vibrant color of this chutney. This is my second attempt of making the chutney and my daughter and my nephew said it is very much close to the store bought one. Homemade Schezwan chutney (Szechuan) is ‘extremely spicy’ but ‘extremely tasty’  that you should be making at home right away. If you like Schezwan noodles or fried rice, then you should make this easy sauce at home. Schezwan Chutney is a popular dip for momos. I also use this Schezwan chutney to prepare many Chinese recipes too. Nothing can beat the taste of noodles cooked in spicy schezwan chutney. It’s a sauce that can be made easily at home. This chili sauce recipe is one of those sauces you should definitely try. Schezwan chutney recipe is nothing but chili garlic sauce. In India we call Schezwan chutney/ sauce and it’s a fusion Indo-Chinese recipe and can be prepared with the ingredients include red peppers (dried red chilies) soaked in water besides loads of garlic and ginger, schezwan peppers, soy sauce, white vinegar, sugar and  tomato ketchup. Schezwan sauce by n ature is spicy, but it doesn’t have to be “mouth on fire” spicy! The authentic flavor of Schezwan chutney comes from Sichuan pepper. Sichuan peppers have unique aroma and flavor, with slightly lemony overtones. Its unique flavor creates a tingly numbness in the mouth, which is similar to hot spices like red chili or black pepper. But is much different from them, and it ignites the taste buds. In my recipe I replaced Sichuan pepper with black pepper as I don't have it. This Schezwan sauce is a perfect balance of taste:  hot, spicy, delicious that does not burn your throat. Even your stomach will feel comfortable after consuming it. It flavors your tongue, but you will never feel it burning in your stomach. 

Serve your homemade Schezwan sauce as a dip for your momos or use it as a spread for your roll recipes. Or refrigerate it in an airtight jar to use later for preparing your Schezwan Fried rice, Schezwan noodles, etc. Once you try this easy homemade schezwan chutney recipe you’ll never be able to go back to the bottled one. Though meant for Chinese cuisine, my daughter love this schezwan chutney as a spread for her toast, dosa, paratha too. After all taste and flavors matter right. Easy to prepare and stores well in the refrigerator for months.

📌📌Watch the full video recipe here📌📌

INGREDIENTS :

100 gms Kashmiri Red Chillies

1 Cup Oil

1 Cup Garlic, finely chopped

3/4 Cup Ginger, finely chopped

2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped

3 tablespoon Coriander Stems / Celery Stems, finely chopped

3/4 th Cup Tomato Ketchup

4-5 tablespoon Red Chilli Sauce

1 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce

2 tablespoon Vinegar

2 teaspoon Salt or as per your taste

1 teaspoon White Pepper Powder

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper Powder

2 litre Water

METHOD :

STEP 1 - Remove the stalks from the whole Kashmiri red chilies. It is easy to remove the stalk from dry chilies. So, remove them at this stage. Then break the chilies into half.

STEP 2 -  Cut them and discard the seeds from whole dry red chilies.

STEP 3 - Heat water in a big vessel.

STEP 4 - When it comes to rolling boil, add red chillies and let them boil/ cook for at least 20-25 minutes. (see notes)

STEP 5 -  After the red chilies get soft due to soaking or boiling in water, 

switch off the flame and drain the water from the red chilies.

STEP 6 - Use a strainer and strain them and let them cool down to room temperature.

STEP 7 - Transfer them to a grinder jar and blend to make a coarse paste. Do not add any water while blending.

STEP 8 - Heat oil in a deep kadhai / pan on medium high heat.

STEP 9 - Add chopped garlic and cook on medium high heat until light golden brown in colour.

STEP 10 - Further add chopped ginger, green chillies and coriander/ celery stems. (see notes)

STEP 11 - Cook for 4-5 minutes on medium high heat.

STEP 12 - Now add coarsely grinded red chili paste, mix well and cook for 15 minutes on high flame.

STEP 13 - Keep stirring continuously and cook the chillies until you see oil separated. Time may vary.

STEP 14 - Add tomato ketchup, red chili sauce, soy sauce and vinegar, give it a nice stir and cook further for another 15-20 minutes on medium high flame. 

STEP 15 - Add salt, sugar, white pepper, freshly grounded black pepper powder and mix well.

STEP 16 - On high flame, fry this mixture for 4-5 minutes continuously stirring, until the oil starts leaving the sides of the sauce. Continuous stirring helps to avoid burning to the bottom. At this stage, colour darkens a bit.

STEP 17 - Now you can see oil seperated and floating on the top. Switch off the stove and let your Schezwan chutney cool down.

STEP 18 - Cool down the chutney completely. Then store in a clean, sterilized glass jar.

STEP 19 - Schezwan chutney is ready to use.

Serve your homemade Schezwan chutney as a dip for your momos / nachos or use it as a spread for your roll recipe or refrigerate it in an airtight jar to use later for preparing your Schezwan Fried rice, Schezwan noodles, etc.

NOTES : * You can soak red chillies in water for 8-10 hours /overnight.

* Then boil them in the same water for 6-8 minutes.

* If you want more spicy schezwan chutney then increase green chillies.

* Time may vary according to your gas burner pressure.

* Texture of the chutney should be like jam and the oil has totally seperated from the chutney.

* Colour of the chutney looks more dark as compared to the colour we started.

* Cool down the chutney completely before storing in a jar.

* Refrigerate the chutney for longer shelf life.

* Make sure there is a layer of oil over the chutney which helps to maintain the shelf life of the chutney.

* Always use a clean spoon remove the chutney

Recipe inspired by : Your Food Lab ( Chef Sanjyot  Keer )