Sweet & Sticky Red Chili Glaze (for meat and vegetables)

Sweet & Sticky Red Chili Glaze on basted chicken drumsticks with rice

This recipe began as an offshoot of my green chili jam, reworked into a glossy red jalapeño glaze. At the start of summer I’d picked up a handful of unmarked cheap assorted chili plants from a local homeware store, not knowing quite what I was buying. As it turned out, they were a brilliant mix of jalapeño and Japanese chili - a combo I ended up using in countless dishes right through summer, then even into winter after digging up the plants and repotting them in the greenhouse to overwinter.

This dark sweet and sticky red chili glaze brings together crushed garlic, fresh ginger, rice wine vinegar, tamarind paste, fish sauce, water, sugar, and just a whisper of lime zest. The result is a zingy yet salty depth of flavor that’s deliciously hard to pin down. It’s a versatile glaze for grilled or BBQ meats and vegetables, and it’s easy to make ahead for quick weeknight cooking or weekend grilling.

Makes approx. 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

1 fat cloves garlic, crushed (fresh is best)

1 tsp fresh grated ginger (I used jar)

2-3 red chilis, de-seeded and chopped

Zest of 1 limes

1 cup granulated white sugar

1/8th cup rice vinegar

1/2 tablespoon fish sauce

1/2 tablespoon tamarind paste (or 1/2 teaspoon tamarind concentrate)

1.5 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon olive or other cooking oil (after cooking)

Method:

Add all the ingredients except the oil to a small pot and warm gently until melted. Bring it to a soft, low boil and let it simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Stir in the oil just before using. Brush the glaze over meat or vegetables, then grill or BBQ until cooked to your liking.

A bowl of Sweet & Sticky Red Chili Glaze