Making Sloppy Joes with a Twist
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When it comes to making your favorite Chinese food dishes at home or integrating hot, sweet, or umami Chinese flavors into western foods, there’s nothing bolder or more versatile than chili sauce. Chili sauce can be used as a condiment, mixed in during the cooking process, or drizzled over your favorite dishes for a little extra kick right at the end.
Chinese chili sauce is balanced in texture and flavor and can be adjusted to match your heat level. Whether you’re just beginning to cook Chinese dishes at home, or you’ve been trying out classic Chinese food in your own kitchen for years, knowing how to make chili sauce and how to integrate it into your favorite dishes can make all the difference.
And Fly By Jing is here to help. We make it easy to enjoy not only the spices and tastes you love, but also to access the history and culture surrounding them, so you can bring them home with ease. Begin tackling your favorite chili sauce dishes today.
What Is Chili Sauce?
Sichuan food is traditionally very spicy, though balanced with sweet and umami flavors for a comprehensive and delicious profile that can be paired with many delicious dishes. Chili sauce is no exception. The Sichuan region embraces hot flavors, largely due to the region’s humid environment and the ubiquity of peppers that grow there.
In the Sichuan region, you’ll find Sichuan peppers, tribute peppers, and Erjingtiao peppers, all of which are used in unique ways to achieve that classic Sichuan feel. With chili sauce, the bold and bright flavor from the chili peppers is complemented by garlic, as well as a little bit of sugar and soy sauce. Both the balance of flavor and the crunchy and delicious texture make this a can’t miss condiment and addition to every meal.
And it’s easy to use outside of Chinese cooking, as well. It makes a great addition to any breakfast platter, can be easily integrated into spring salad that needs a little kick, and is even excellent when added to dishes like a classic sloppy joe. When you learn how to make chili sauce at home, you’ll have a can’t-fail flavor addition for every meal.
History of Chili Sauce
Like many Chinese food dishes and sauces, it can be challenging to chase the original history of chili sauce because the culture has been around for so long and varies so much by region. It first became available in grocery stores and shops; however, after a woman named Tao Huabi introduced it in her noodle shop, and found it had a huge following. That was back in 1997, and she still maintains her position as the reigning queen of chili sauce bought in stores.
But you can make yours at home so that you’re ready to use it in all kinds of dishes.
Recipe for Chili Sauce
When you’re ready to begin making chili sauce at home, it’s essential to gather your high-quality ingredients. The actual recipe is relatively straight-forward, and that’s a good thing! Once you have a taste of homemade chili sauce, you’ll want to make it all the time.
Ingredients
Chili Peppers: The type of chili peppers you use and how many chili peppers you add to your dish will determine how spicy it is, so adjust accordingly to fit your palate.
Garlic: Garlic is the other main ingredient that goes into chili sauce, along with chilis. The garlic helps to give the dish its signature crunchy texture.
Oil: You’ll want to have a neutral oil in your home for many Chinese food dishes. Canola oil and peanut oil both have high smoke points, so you can cook over high heat and very little flavor that will interfere with your dish.
Sugar: Since chilis are so spicy and Sichuan-inspired dishes are known to cause tongue-numbing heat, you’ll need just a pinch of sugar on hand to balance out all of chili sauce flavors.
Soy Sauce: Soy sauce is one of those pantry essentials that you can use in Chinese cooking and for many other dishes. The umami flavor is perfect for a spicy chili sauce, and a little goes a long way.
You’ll also want to have salt and chili flakes on hand to balance the spice and add more kick and texture.
Recipe
Step One: Prepare your ingredients. Slice and grind your chilis and mince your garlic.
Step Two: Heat your oil slowly and add the garlic. You don’t want it to fry, so increase the temperature a little bit at a time. Keep the garlic over heat for ~30 minutes.
Step Three: Add the chilis and keep over heat for 5-10 minutes, taking care not to let them fry or crisp.
Step Four: Add more oil and the final ingredients and stir to combine. Let cool and adjust to taste, then serve.
Make Sloppy Joes With Chili Sauce
Chili sauce goes excellent with many Chinese food dishes, like mapo tofu and spicy Sichuan noodles.
But the possibilities don’t end there. You can also try mixing your homemade Chinese chili sauce into a more classic western dish—like sloppy joes, for a bold and spicy flavor like you’ve never had before. Sloppy joes already utilize a type of chili sauce, and making the change to your preferred new homemade chili sauce is smooth and easy. You can adjust it to fit your palate and serve it to loved ones today.
Ingredients
There are many ways to make your preferred sloppy joes at home. Here are some basic ingredients you’ll want to have on hand.
Ground Meat: Traditionally, sloppy joes are made with beef, but you can use ground turkey or ground chicken for a leaner dish.
Sandwich Buns: Everyone has their own preference for sloppy joe sandwich buns. Account for how much meat you’re making and how messy you’re willing to get!
Onions: Onions help to bring out the flavor in your meat and add texture to the dish. Traditionally sloppy joes will have garlic, but if you’re using chili sauce, you’ll already have a lot of garlic flavoring in your dish, so adjust accordingly.
Sauce Ingredients: You’ll want to do some experimenting when it comes time to mix your chili sauce into your sloppy joe sauce. A classic sloppy joe sauce will contain a combination of ingredients, including Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard, and spices. Ketchup is often used in sloppy joe sauce, as well.
Remember, chili sauce is already a little sweet and very spicy. When it comes time to mix it together with your other sloppy joe sauce and seasoning, you’ll want to account for spice and sweetness levels, flavor profile, and even texture. Sloppy joe sauce is traditionally thick, so experiment with your favorite flavors to find a sloppy joe sauce that does the job and still offers up more than a hint of Chinese chili sauce heat.
Recipe
Once you have your ingredients, putting your sloppy joe together is pretty straightforward. Adjust accordingly to match your preferred chili sauce heat level.
Step One: Brown the beef with the onion. You may want to consider adding just a dab of hot chili sauce at this stage for that garlic crunch and taste.
Step Two: Make your sauce and combine with a whisk. At this stage, you’ll want to add your chili sauce to the sloppy joe sauce a little at a time to avoid overpowering the other flavors. Continue taste-testing until you find the right flavor combination to fit your palate.
Step Three: Add the sauce to the beef or turkey in the pan and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes. You’ll want to stir regularly and adjust to fit the sauce’s texture needs. You can always add broth or water to thin the broth or an agent like cornstarch to thicken it.
Step Four: Serve right away with a side of chili sauce or store in the freezer until ready.
Conclusion
Chili sauce is an ingredient that you’ll want to integrate into all of your favorite dishes—not just home-cooked Chinese food. It’s easy to make and to adjust to fit your preferred spice level, and you can add it to a wide variety of dishes, from your morning eggs to hearty meals like sloppy joe sandwiches.
Here at Fly By Jing, we make it easy to both test out classic Chinese dishes for yourself and to make them your own, with unique hybrid recipes and cooking ideas. Explore the ingredients available here on our site and begin testing out your favorite new chili sauce flavors today. Your friends and family are sure to enjoy.
Sources
Why Is Sichuan Food So Darn Spicy? | Zafigo
What is Chili Crisp? Spicy Chinese Hot Oil Tastes Great on Everything | Thrillist
