So, I’ve been properly craving that specific red sauce, you know, the one you get with cheung fun or those lovely pan-fried turnip cakes at the dim sum joints. It’s got that tang, a bit of sweetness, a gentle kick. The stuff you buy in bottles? Just doesn’t hit the same. Never really does, does it?
Getting the Bits Together
First off, I had to actually go and get the ingredients. I wasn’t aiming for anything too complicated, mind you. I went on a hunt for some decent red chilies. Not the face-melting kind, but something with a bit of body and a nice colour. Found some that looked alright at the market. And garlic, of course. Lots of garlic is key, I reckon. Then the usual suspects: rice vinegar, a bit of soy sauce, sugar. Some people chuck in ketchup, I’ve heard. But I was determined to try it without this time round. Feels a bit like a shortcut, that.
Actually Making the Thing
Right, so into the kitchen I went. I started by chopping up a good amount of garlic – minced it up pretty fine. Did the same with the chilies. I took most of the seeds out because I wasn’t trying to start a fire in my mouth, just wanted that pleasant warmth. You get me?
Then, I grabbed a small saucepan, put it on the hob. A little bit of oil in, let that get warm. In went the garlic. Now, you’ve got to watch it like a hawk here, because burnt garlic is just a tragedy. Nobody wants that. Just until it smells amazing, that’s the sweet spot. Then I threw in the chopped chilies. Gave that a good stir for a minute or two, let them get friendly with the garlic.
Next up, the liquids. I splashed in some soy sauce, then a good glug of rice vinegar, and a little water just to give it some body. After that, a spoonful of sugar to balance out all that tartness and spice. I let the whole concoction bubble away gently. The kitchen started to smell pretty good, which I always take as a positive sign. I let it simmer for, oh, I don’t know, maybe 10, 15 minutes? I just wanted it to thicken up a tad and for all those flavours to really meld together.
I kept dipping a spoon in and tasting it. A bit more soy sauce here, maybe a tiny bit more sugar there. It’s never an exact science with these homemade things, is it? You really have to go by feel and what tastes good to you. I remember this one time I tried making a similar sauce and it was just… wrong. Tasted like pure disappointment. This batch, though, it felt like it was on the right track.
The Moment of Truth
After it had cooled down a bit, I gave it a proper taste. And you know what? It was actually pretty darn close to what I was aiming for. Not quite the 100% authentic, straight-from-the-restaurant stuff, mind. Those places have their age-old secrets, or maybe just access to industrial quantities of flavour enhancers, who can say? But this sauce, it had that tangy, savoury, slightly sweet, and gently spicy character I was missing.
I poured it into a clean little jar. Felt quite pleased with myself, to be honest. There’s something satisfying about making it yourself, even if it’s a bit more rustic than shop-bought. I made some pan-fried radish cakes later that day, and this sauce was absolutely perfect with them. Miles better than anything I could have picked up in a bottle. So yeah, that was my little adventure into the world of homemade dim sum red sauce. I’ll definitely be making it again. Perhaps I’ll even get brave and try adding a smidge of fermented bean paste next time, just to see what happens. You never quite know until you try, right?