This recipe was born out of my nitpicking on sriracha. Don’t get me wrong; I love sriracha just like any other reasonable earthling for its creamy and intense pepperiness, garlicky and mildly sweet heat level, and let’s not forget that ingenious design of the squeeze bottle. But I wanted something more acidic and fruity that would add more zing and pop to dishes. So, out came the orange chile sambal.
MAKES 1 CUP
14 ounces (400 g) red cayenne peppers, goat horn chilies, or red jalapeño peppers, stemmed
1½ ounces (40 g) Thai hot chilies, stemmed
1 small navel orange
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2½ tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1. If you like a super-smooth consistency, I suggest charring the peppers over an open flame, letting them cool, and removing the charred skins. But if you don’t mind a grittier chile sauce, you can skip this step.
2. Zest the orange and place the zest in the cup of an immersion blender or in a standard blender. Cut away the pith to expose the flesh, and remove each segment from the surrounding skin with a knife. Place the segments in the cup or blender.
3. Squeeze the juice from the remaining orange flesh into the cup or blender. Add the chilies, garlic, fish sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar, and blend on high speed for a full 2 minutes, until extremely smooth.
4. Transfer the puree to a small nonstick saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cover partly with a lid to avoid splattering. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced by half.
5. Let sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours before using. Store in a squeeze bottle in the fridge for up to 1 month.