Homemade Schezwan sauce (Szechuan sauce) is one of the best, simple, spicy chili sauce recipes packed with full of flavors that you should try.
Schezwan sauce is my all-time favorite, and even today, when I visit any Indo-Chinese restaurants for dinner, I make sure I order at least one schezwan-based item from the menu. The kick this sauce gives to the dish is fantastic 🙂
So if you are new to this sauce, read below.
What is Schezwan sauce or Szechuan sauce?
Schezwan sauce also spelled as Szechuan sauce, is hot and spicy, with a hint of sweet & sour - all in one recipe prepared using dry red chilies as main ingredients and flavored with garlic, ginger, vinegar. The type of dry red chilies you use will decide the spice level of the sauce and give the color.
Traditionally this sauce is on the spicier side. The amount of sauce you use for dipping or recipes should be based on your spice tolerance levels 🙂
How to serve schezwan sauce?
Schezwan sauce, also known as chili garlic sauce, can be served as a dipping sauce for french fries or wedges, spring rolls, momos, cutlet, samosas, pakoras or fritters, chicken lollipop, and also yes, those McDonald's chicken nuggets.
You can use schezwan sauce on any meat and for stir-frying veggies. Schezwan sauce can also be used to make the best restaurant-style schezwan fried rice, schezwan noodles, flavoring your Maggi noodles, and many more.
What is the difference between schezwan sauce and schezwan chutney?
Schezwan sauce and chutney are interchangeably used in India. Both use the same ingredients, only the consistency of sauce and chutney varies. It is always best to make this schezwan chutney into thick consistency and store. You can always thin it down by adding some warm water to sauce consistency as and when needed for stir-fries, fried rice, or marinades.
Helpful tips even before you start making schezwan sauce (Szechuan sauce)
- The type of red chilies you use decides the color and spiciness of the sauce. I use Kashmiri Red Chilie (or Paprika) for color and small dry red chilies (or Cayenne) for spiciness. You can use 100 % Kashmiri Chilie (Paprika) if you are looking for a milder sauce with bright red color.
- Adjust the amount of vinegar and sugar to taste.
- Garlic and ginger can be chopped finely using a knife or in a food processor. Don't mash or form a paste, as it will change the taste of the sauce.
- If you are looking for a milder version of schezwan sauce with onions and Sichuan peppercorns added, check my SCHEZWAN SAUCE post.
Ingredients for HOMEMADE SCHEZWAN SAUCE | SZECHUAN SAUCE
25 Kashmiri Dry Red Chilies (or Paprika)
15 Spicy Dry Red Chilies (or Cayenne, read below)
¾ cup Boiling water
2 tablespoon Oil (Sesame or any neutral oil)
½ cup Garlic, finely chopped
½ cup Ginger, finely chopped
½ teaspoon Black pepper powder
2 tablespoon Dark soy sauce
2 tablespoon Vinegar
1 tablespoon Brown sugar or Sugar
¼ teaspoon Salt
HOW TO MAKE SCHEZWAN SAUCE | MAKING OF SZECHUAN SAUCE
Remove the stem from both varieties of red chilies. I prefer to cut each chili into halves. I have used Kashmiri red chilies for color and small dry red chilies for spiciness.
Add boiling water to the red chilies and soak them for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add them to the blender or mixie grinder along with the water and blend it to form a paste. Keep this aside.
Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. To this, add finely chopped garlic cloves and ginger, and saute on a medium flame for 5 minutes or until it becomes fragrant and light golden.
Add red chilie paste along with ½ cup of water (you can use this water even to clean the blender. Check the video here) and saute for another 3 to 5 minutes.
Next, add black pepper, soy sauce, vinegar and continue to saute and cook for 5 minutes.
Finally, add brown sugar, salt, and mix. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Oil should start leaving the sides of the pan. Switch off the flame.
Once it cools down completely, store it in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator.
How to store homemade schezwan sauce?
Homemade schezwan sauce stays good in the refrigerator for 2 weeks when stored in an airtight container. If you have schezwan sauce ready on hand, your meal or lunchbox can be prepared in less than 10 minutes. Please make sure you use a clean spoon every time you remove schezwan sauce.
Can I freeze homemade Szechuan sauce?
Yes. Once it comes to room temperature, I would recommend adding individual portions to the ice cube tray and freezing them. The frozen sauce cubes can be stored in the box or Ziplock bag. This makes it easier to remove and use as and when needed.
To use this in your dishes, remove the required number of sauce cubes from the freezer, thaw, and use as required.
Does Szechwan sauce contain Ajinomoto or MSG?
This homemade version of Schezwan sauce is prepared without adding tastemakers like MSG or Ajinomoto. Storebought sauces may contain Ajinomoto or its variations in it, so read the label carefully.
Video recipe for HOMEMADE SCHEZWAN SAUCE | SZECHUAN SAUCE | HOW TO MAKE SCHEZWAN SAUCE
Detailed step by step recipe for HOMEMADE SCHEZWAN SAUCE | SZECHUAN SAUCE | HOW TO MAKE SCHEZWAN SAUCE
HOMEMADE SCHEZWAN SAUCE | SZECHUAN SAUCE | HOW TO MAKE SCHEZWAN SAUCE
Ingredients
- 25 Kashmiri Dry Red chilies (or Paprika)
- 15 Spicy dry red chilies (or Cayenne, read below) (Read tips)
- ¾ cup Boiling water
- 2 tablespoon Oil (Sesame or any neutral oil)
- ½ cup Garlic, finely chopped
- ½ cup Ginger, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper powder
- 2 tablespoon Dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Brown sugar or Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Remove the stem from both varieties of red chilies. I prefer to cut each chili into halves. I have used Kashmiri red chilies for color and small dry red chilies for spiciness.
- Add boiling water to the red chilies and soak them for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add them to the blender or mixie grinder along with the water and blend it to form a paste. Keep this aside.
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. To this, add finely chopped garlic cloves and ginger, and saute on a medium flame for 5 minutes or until it becomes fragrant and light golden
- Add red chilie paste along with ½ cup of water (you can use this water even to clean the blender. Check the video here) and saute for another 3 to 5 minutes.
- Next, add black pepper, soy sauce, vinegar and continue to saute and cook for 5 minutes.
- Finally, add brown sugar, salt, and mix. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Oil should start leaving the sides of the pan. Switch off the flame.
- Once it cools down completely, store it in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator.
Notes
- The type of red chilies you use decides the color and spiciness of the sauce. I use Kashmiri Red Chilie (or Paprika) for color and small dry red chilies (or Cayenne) for spiciness. You can use 100 % Kashmiri Chilie (Paprika) if you are looking for a milder sauce with bright red color.
- Adjust the amount of vinegar and sugar to taste.
- Garlic and ginger can be chopped finely using a knife or in a food processor. Don't mash or form a paste, as it will change the taste of the sauce.
- If you are looking for a milder version of schezwan sauce with onions and Sichuan peppercorns added, check my SCHEZWAN SAUCE post.
- You can add 3 to 4 tablespoon of Kashmiri red chile powder and 1 to 2 tablespoon as per your taste of cayenne powder instead of whole red chilies in the recipe.
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