CHILI SAUCES AND PASTES

AMERICAN CHILI SAUCES

Tabasco
It is a pure and natural product from chili peppers. The peppers pods are ground and mixed with a little salt on harvest day. The mixture is poured into oak casks and aged for 3 years. As it ferments, it develops its full spicy aroma. When the chili pepper mix has rested long enough, unwanted liquid is drained and distilled vinegar is added. Everything is blended continuously for 4 weeks. Then the remaining shucks and seed corns are separated. The red sauce is bottled, packed in cardboard boxes and distributed all over the world. The proportion of ingredients contained in the mix, namely chili peppers, salt and distilled vinegar, is not known because it is a fiercely guarded family secret.


Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce
A sister of the red pepper sauce was invented I 1996. It is milder and is made from aromatic Jalapeno peppers. This sauce is intended for lovers of mildly hot dishes.

Carribean Chili Sauce
There are a number of Carribbean chili sauces, but one thing in common – all of them contain cut chili, onion, vinegar and salt. Depending on the particular chili sauce, the color can be bright red (if it contains tomatoes) or yellow (if it contains tumeric).


ASIAN CHILI SAUCES

Chinese and Korean chili sauces
It is usually very salty and is used as a kind of salt substitute in traditional Asian cuisine. In China, it is common mainly in the Sezchuan and Hunan provinces.

Thai and Malaysian chili sauces
These Asian chili sauces differ from Chinese and Korean varieties because they usually contain a good deal of ginger. Their consistency is thicker that that of other chili sauces.

Sambals
Sambal are pastes rather than sauces. They are made from chili peppers. You can still spot little pieces of the pods in the product. They originated in Indonesian cuisine, but are now a fixture in the cuisines of many other Asian Countries. They come in various flavors. Sambal Ulek, sometimes called oelek, is the best-known chili paste. It is extremely hot and should be added to dishes only in very small quantities. Sambal manis is a sweet and rather mild paste. It is a mix of chili and shrimp, enhanced with Kaffir lime leaves, Kemer (pistachio) nuts, brown sugar and oil. Most sambals are soft at room temperature, but some are solid and sold in blocks. The most popular one is sambal kacang, which includes ground peanuts. It must be diluted with hot water before use.


AFRICAN CHILI PASTE

Harrissa
This chili paste is from North Africa. It is extremely hot and is produced from dried or fresh chili. Harrissa also contains garlic, salt, cumin, coriander and mint. Milder versions contain tomato as well. It is used in Arab cuisine to season soups and stews and to color mayonnaise and rice. Lamb, chicken and fish are marinated in it before grilling. This hot paste is served with couscous in North Africa.


IMPORTANT WARNING :
If your fingers come in touch with hot sauce or sambal, wash your hands well and be careful not to rub your eyes. The capsaicin contained in chili peppers is very aggressive and extremely hot.