Szechuan Sauce

 

Szechuan Sauce 

Szechuan sauce (or Sichuan sauce, after the Sichuan province in China), is a flavorful and complex condiment from the Sichuan province of southwest China, known for its sweet and spicy combination.

It is a foundation of Szechuan cuisine, which is filled with bold flavors, lot of spices, particularly Szechuan peppercorns and chili peppers, making it perfect for spicy food lovers.

Szechuan sauce itself isn't overly spicy, though you can easily spice things up with hotter chili flakes and powders to your liking.

Servings: 4

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey or sugar substitute for low carb
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger fresh minced ginger is good, too
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder fresh minced garlic is good, too
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon szechuan peppercorns lightly toasted and ground
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch optional, for thickening
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
• 1 teaspoon sriracha or more to taste

Instructions: 

• Whisk all of the ingredients except the cornstarch (if using) together in a small pot. You can blend them in a food processor or blender if you'd like.
• Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
• If you'd like to thicken it, dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water until well mixed. Stir it into the szechuan sauce and stir until it thickens up, 2-3 minutes. For thicker szechuan sauce, use 2 tablespoons cornstarch.
• Cool and serve.

Storage:

• Store your Szechuan Sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks. To maximize the storage life, make sure to refrigerate the sauce promptly.

Notes:

• Szechuan peppercorns (aka Sichuan peppercorns) and Szechuan pepper have a unique flavor described as lemony or perfumy, though they are most known for their tongue-numbing sensation. Black peppercorns can be used instead, though they are quite different.
• Fun Fact - McDonald's Szechuan Sauce. A bit of history to this, and a funny story worth mentioning - McDonald's introduced their version of this iconic sauce to promote the movie Mulan in 1998, then promptly dropped it from its menu, despite being a huge hit.
• People clamored for the stuff. It was brought back briefly after being mentioned on the series "Rick and Morty" in 2017, though in limited quantities, prompting offers of thousands of dollars for a single sauce packet. I guess people love their Szechuan sauce!

Macros:

• Calories:  69 cal | Net Carbs: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g 

Source: chilipeppermadness.com