Brazilian Sweet Chilli Sauce

I have never been a fan of regular store-bought sweet chilli sauce. Store versions have a funny taste, and the colouring and preservatives put me off. It's true that you can find some better quality 'natural' chilli sauces at health food stores and markets these days, but making chilli sauce from scratch will always have an extra benefit that buying will never compare too: achievement. This sweet chilli sauce recipe comes from Brazilian Chef Thiago Castanho's cookbook 'Brazilian Food'. Originally, it was created by acclaimed Brazilian chef Rodrigo Oliveira as a dip for Dadinhos de tapioca com queijo coalho (fried tapioca cheese cubes). Rodrigo runs Mocotó, a legendary restaurant in São Paulo that he opened with his father. He has a truly unique culinary touch, and uses traditional flavours in his fine dining without his creations ever coming off as 'posh'.

by Daniela Paiva

Ingredients:

17g garlic cloves (whole)

8g red chilli (whole)

60g kiss peppers or other sweet mild chillies

30g bird's eye chillies

190 ml mango vinegar

375g sugar

15g salt

30m white cachaça

17g polvilho doce (sweet cassava starch)

INSTRUCTIONS

. Preheat the oven to 150C. Cover a tray with a baking sheet and put the garlic cloves and chillies in (the original recipe says to put them in with their skin on and peel after, but we peeled the garlic instead)

. Blend chillies and garlic in a food processor or blender. Add half the kiss peppers and pulse to a coarse paste-like consistency. Set aside and reserve.

. In the same processor, add the bird's eyes and remaining kiss peppers. Discard any excess liquid and add the mix to the garlic and chilli paste.

. Combine the vinegar, half of the sugar, salt and cachaça in a medium saucepan on low heat, stirring constantly until it reaches a boil. Turn off and keep warm.

. In a large heavy-based sauce pan dissolve the sugar until caramelised. Add 50 ml of water carefully until smooth. Add the chilli and garlic paste and stir well.

. Reheat the vinegar mixture and boil. Gradually pour into the chilli caramel.

. Dissolve the cassava starch in 200ml of water and stir well. Pour it into the chilli sauce, stirring constantly.

. Increase the heat and simmer, stirring, until it gets to a jelly-like consistency. Leave it to cool and store. Use within 1 week.