Week 48: Fad Food - Szechuan Sauce

Preview of Szechuan Sauce

Made with /u/mittimer

Base Sauce Ingredients:
* Water - 1/2 Cup
* White Vinegar - 1/2 Cup
* White Sugar - 1/2 Cup
* Soy Sauce - 1/2 Cup
* Apple Cider Vinegar - 1 Tbsp
* Sesame Seed Oil - 1/2 tsp
* Garlic Powder - 1/4 tsp
* Onion Powder - 1/4 tsp
* Ground Ginger - 1/4 tsp
* Marmite - 1/4 tsp
* Corn Syrup - 1 Tbsp
* Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Thickeners
* Corn Starch - 2 Tbsp
* Xanthan Gum - 1 tsp

In a large sauce pan, combine all base sauce ingredients. Whisk until all ingredients are fully integrated.

In a second container, add the corn starch and 1/4 cup of the sauce base.

Mix until the starch has dissolved. Strain the mix back into the sauce base.

In the second container, add the xanthan gum and another 1/4 cup of the sauce base and whisk until it is as incorporated as best it can be. We were not able to get the xanthan to fully dissolve.

Strain the xantham mix back into the pot.

Whist the mixture over medium-high heat until the sauce has reached your desired thickness.

Strain the sauce once more into another container to cool.

Finished product.

The sauce is tangy, sweet, and savory and while on its own, is okay at best, but is significantly better when paired with chicken nuggets.

We made this recipe once more with the addition of chili garlic paste and dried cayenne peppers to the base before the final strain for an added spicy note that balances the flavors beautifully.