Vegan Szechuan Sauce

About Vegan Szechuan Sauce Recipe

Szechuan or Schezwan sauce, a well-known Indo-Chinese spicy sauce, is a red hot spicy sauce, prepared with chilies and spices. It is used as a dipping sauce, stir-fry sauce, spread, and marinade to give a food a fiery kick. The origin of this sauce is Sichuan province in southwest China, also known as Sichuan sauce.

Is Szechuan Sauce vegan?

No, not all the Szechuan or schezwan sauce is vegan-friendly. But yes, this recipe is 100% vegan. I have chosen all the ingredients carefully to be plant-based before coming up with this recipe.

A super delicious spicy sauce that does not overwhelm the flavors of the other ingredients in the sauce. A bit of sugar and tomato sauce perfectly balances the spicy factor. Fresh ginger and garlic give this sauce a distinctive aroma and flavor, whereas the lemon juice and soy sauce provide a perfect sour base to the Szechuan sauce. This Schezwan sauce recipe is the best Schezwan sauce homemade version you may ever have!!

You can also try other vegan sauces like a green dipping sauce, and carrot chutney as a part of your meal.

Ingredients

To prepare this red chili sauce, you will need the following ingredients:

• Dried chillies
  I use Kashmiri dried chillies which are mildly spicy and one can easily tolerate.
• Soy sauce
  Use gluten-free if you want a gluten-free version.
• Tomato sauce
  I use Heinz Tomato Ketchup which is 100% vegan.
• Lemon juice
  I prefer lemon juice over vinegar as it tastes better.
• Ginger
  Grated or finely chopped. Use fresh if you have.
• Oil
  Any cooking oil works best. Use it a little higher, as this acts as a preservative.

• Sugar
  • I use raw cane sugar as it is vegan friendly. The other options for vegan sugar are organic/unrefined/raw varieties of cane sugar, beet sugar, or organic coconut sugar. You can also use maple syrup, agave nectar etc.,
  • Although, it is unnecessary to add sugar. You are always welcome to skip it if you don't like the sweet version of the schezwan sauce/ schezwan chutney.
  • Honestly, this Schezwan sauce is too spicy to tolerate. I would certainly recommend adding a little bit of sugar to balance the spice quotient of the sauce.
• Szechuan pepper or black pepper
  • I didn't have Szechuan pepper, so I used freshly cracked black pepper.
  • It cannot replace the flavour of Szechuan pepper, yet it can serve its purpose.
  • Use them if it is handy.
• Garlic
  • Use fresh if you have it.
  • It gives a strong and unique flavour to the sauce.
  • Don't skip this!!

How spicy is Schezwan Sauce?

Szechuan sauce is usually too spicy to tolerate. A half teaspoon suffices to spice up the food. But when preparing at home, you have control over the ingredients, and you can vary the spiciness according to your taste buds that do not hurt.

For spicier, add red chilli flakes, chilli paste or Sriracha sauce. Alternatively, add sugar to beat the chili. That's why I always prefer homemade ones over store-bought ones as the store-bought ones are nowhere close to them in terms of freshness, ingredients, taste, and of course price too!!

Storage Instructions

• Be sure to cool down the sauce completely before preserving it.
• Always use a clean, dry, airtight glass jar for storing the Szechuan sauce.
• Take care not to use a wet spoon each time you use sauce.
• This sauce stays fresh for up to one month if stored properly in the fridge.

How to use Szechuan Sauce?

There are endless options to use Szechuan or schezwan sauce. You can use this sauce as

• Stir-fries sauce for preparing noodles, fried rice, pasta, poha (flattened rice), and tofu. Give a twist to a regular Maggi recipe using this sauce.
• Dipping sauce for snacks and starters like Chinese, Indan street food, and Indo-Chinese.
• Spread on bread for tongue-tickling sandwiches.
• Marinade for grilled or baked dishes.
• To give any food a peppy flavour.

Tips

1. To make this sauce less spicy, remove the seeds from the chillies before using them.
2. If you have Sichuan pepper, use it for a unique earthy and citrus-like flavour. If not, use black pepper like me in the recipe!
3. Add oil in a little high quantity; if you want it to store for a long time. It acts as a preservative.
4. Take care while adding salt, as the soy sauce is also salty.
5. Using sugar and tomato sauce is optional. But adding them to the sauce reduces the heat and also, makes it flavourful.
6. If you want to make it spicier, add red chili flakes, chili paste, or Sriracha sauce along with the rest of the ingredients when you add.
7. Stir-fry ginger garlic slightly to golden on low heat to avoid its raw taste and also burning.
8. Always cool down before transferring to a jar/container for storage. I always leave it in the pan and store it the other day.
9. Store in a clean, airtight glass container.
10. Always store in the fridge.
11. Always use a clean and dry spoon to scoop out the sauce.

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