Fresh Chili Garlic Sauce

I use a lot of Chile Garlic Sauce in my Chinese cooking and today I realized that I was out of it and my local grocery store didn't carry it. But, I did find Red Jalapeños so I decided to make some fresh Chile Garlic Sauce to go with the Hainan Chicken I had already cooked. I've actually never used Red Jalapeños before and when I ate a little piece of it, I was surprised how mild it was and how delicious.There is a subtle sweetness to it, much like a Red Bell Pepper with a little more heat. I fell in love instantly! 

I decided to keep the sauce simple. I tossed the Red Jalapeños into the Cuisinart and added two Garlic Cloves. I then seasoned it with a little salt and added a little oil to make it smoother and just a pinch of sugar and then I pureed it. I was thrilled at how delicious this simple little sauce turned out to be! If you don't have a food processor, I am sure that you could also mince up the ingredients finely and mash them with a mortar and pestle and it would be just as good. If you wanted to make it more of a Southeast Asian Chile Sauce, I would recommend adding a little Fish Sauce instead of the salt. If you want it hotter, you can add some Thai Bird Chiles or a bit of a hot green chili. I only made a little bit as I was testing it and it was the perfect amount for what I needed, but this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.  Red Jalapeños are going on my grocery list from now on!

Chile Garlic Sauce

4 Red Jalapeño Chiles

2 Garlic Cloves

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 Tablespoon of neutral flavored Oil (I used Safflower)

1/4 teaspoon Sugar

Stem the Red Jalapeños and cut in half to remove the seeds. Place in a food processor and add the Garlic, Salt, Oil and Sugar.  Puree, stopping several times to push the mixture back down the sides. Remove to a serving bowl.

Five Element Analysis

Chiles of any kind belong to the Fire Element and red ones are even more fiery.  The Garlic brings in the Metal Element and there isn't enough of the other ingredients to make an impact. I served this with Chicken, which is Wood food and another sauce made of Tamari and Sesame Oil and some Scallions, which brought in the Water Element and a bit more Metal. I also served a Cucumbers, an Earth food as a salad to create a balanced Five Element meal.