Sweet Chili Sauce

The first step in recreating a dish from our Food Truck experience was to figure out which one to start with. After some debating I decided to start with the Thai style meatballs because they were my favorite and an easy one to do. I knew it was turkey meat and Asian flavorings so I went to their site to see if they gave any descirption of it. And they did! How lucky did I get?? "ground turkey, fresh lemongrass, ginger, cilantro; served with pickled cucumbers, carrot and daikon, wrapped in
boston lettuce; accompanied by thai and sweet chili sauces" So this is where I started. But the sweet chili sauce was going to be a challenge. Or was it?? I started some research online and figured out what went into a basic sweet chili sauce: rice vinegar, sugar, water, garlic, crushed chili, and cornstarch.

Recipe:
1/2c rice vinegar
1/2c + 2T white sugar
1/4c water
2T mirin*
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-1T crushed dried chili (depending on hotness level)
1 1/2T cornstarch dissolved in 3-4T cold water

*Mirin is a sweet Japanese cooking wine. I found it at the local commissary on base but I am unsure if you can find it at a local grocery store. You should be able to purchase if you have a local Asian grocery store. If you do not have it, just omit.

Combine vinegar, sugar, water, mirin, garlic, and chilis in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes. Add in your cornstarch mixture and cook for 2 more minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Then pour into a jelly jar. I had just enough for one jar. Once in the jar let it cool down and place in the fridge and it can last up to a month.

You can see that the flakes of garlic and chili rise to the top, before serving or using just give it a good shake or stir to redistribute. This sauce is absolutely divine though! And it would be great with potstickers or eggrolls or dim sum. I have some leftover dim sum in my freezer I plan on eating with this sauce. It is sugary at first taste, then you feel the intense heat and then the tanginess from the vinegar. It's like a little party in your mouth! I bet it would also make good presents to your foodie friends who happen to love Asian food. Hope y'all love it as much as me!!