This is a spicy Asian-y sauce. It reminds me of the sauce they bring you with spring rolls in Vietnamese restaurants. I like it on fried food and with steamed vegetables. It tastes exotic to me, and unlike anything you would normally eat here in Dushanbe.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup cider vinegar (or rice wine vinegar if you are feeling fancy)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 large clove garlic, minced (you're going to boil it, so you don't have to do a great job mincing)
Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan
2. Bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring constantly until all sugar and salt is dissolved
3. Turn heat up to high and boil for ten minutes - sauce will get thicker and sticky
4. Serve warm or cool
Notes:
1. If it gets too thick, you can thin it with some warm water
2. Stores well in a glass jar in the fridge
3. You can strain it when it's hot if you want to get out the red pepper flakes and garlic bits. I leave them in because I am lazy and they look nice.
