Homemade Schezwan sauce (Szechuan) is ‘extremely spicy’ but ‘extremely tasty’ sauce that you should be making at home right away. This chili sauce recipe is one of those sauces you should definitely try.
The recipe was originally posted Nov 2015. Updated photos and added video in 2019. Recipe is the same. It’s just PERFECT!
Older photo ->
Szechuan sauce – DAMN TASTY SAUCE!
Word of Caution : Schezwan sauce will make you sweat and bluster. Use quantity depending on your palate and spice tolerance levels.
Nothing can beat the taste of noodles cooked in spicy schezwan sauce. It’s a sauce that can be made easily at home. If you like Schezwan noodles or fried rice, then you should make this easy sauce at home.
Why Schezwan Sauce Is So Damn Tasty?
Is it Szechuan sauce or Schezwan sauce the correct spelling?! I guess both are correct. Different countries have their own way of pronouncing and calling a dish. Call it however you want, this schezwan-style sauce should definitely be one of the sauces you should try right away!
Because this homemade schezwan sauce recipe is spicy, sour and slightly sweet and it’s that ONE SAUCE you need to perk up any of your meals. Yes, any meals, and we mean it. Add it to your fried rice or noodles for dinner, spoon it in over chicken stir fry (any meat stir fry), use drops of it over soup or simply use it for dipping.
Millions of trillions recipe can be found out there, but the legitimate Szechuan sauce features Chinese dried red chilies, Szechuan peppers, fresh ginger and garlic, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar all cooked in sesame seed oil.
Szechuan sauce recipe is nothing but chili garlic sauce. In India we call Schezwan sauce and it’s an fusion Indo-Chinese recipe. Ingredients include red peppers (dried red chilies) soaked in water besides loads of garlic and ginger, some shallots, Schezwan peppers, soy sauce, white vinegar, sugar and little bit of ketchup.
This spicy sauce is an ultra flavorful, extremely tasty dipping sauce that’s perfect on meat, chicken, stir fried veggies, with fried rice and Chinese noodles or even with soups! It’s best with chicken nuggets. Remember those super flavorful, spicy Mc Donald’s Szechuan sauce you get with chicken nuggets?! Clearly the best way to eat chicken nuggets was with Mc Donald’s Szechuan sauce.
This Szechuan sauce recipe not exactly what you get at Mc Donalds as dipping sauce. It is slightly different compared to Mc Donald’s Szechuan sauce in terms of consistency and ofcourse we have the added flavors here that makes it more on the savory spicy sauce than sweetish spicy sauce.
Like with everything else, homemade recipe is always the best.
- You have total control on how spicy you want to make.
- You make just the quantity of sauce you like you’ll need.
- You can add in more flavors or ignore any ingredient that does not fit your palate.
- Make it once at home and it stays good in refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. That means 2 weeks of delicious stir-fries and meat marinade is ease as breeze.
What is Szechuan Sauce (Schezwan Sauce)
It’s is hot and spicy usually serves as chicken nuggets compliment in Mc Donalds. In India it’s this popular Indo-Chinese sauce that is used to make schezwan noodles, schezwan fried rice, schezwan stir fried chili chicken, also as a compliment with potato wedges, momos (dimsum), spring rolls.
It’s a gluten-free vegan sauce that will tingle your palate with it’s spicy, sour and sweet flavors.
If you’re looking to perk up your meals, add Szechuan sauce to your favorite chili recipe, stir-fry or to your meat.
Ingredients Needed
Simple basic pantry ingredients is what you need to make ultra delicious.
Dried red chilies – we used mix of two varieties of dried red chilies. One for the heat and other to impart bright red color (byadagi chilies – the wrinkled ones). This combination gives a good balance of heat, flavor and color to the sauce. Choose chili variety depending on your spice tolerance level and taste buds.
- Loads of garlic – finely chopped
- Loads of ginger – finely chopped
- Shallots – finely chopped
- Soy sauce
- White wine vinegar
- Schezwan peppers (ground)
- Salt
- Ketchup
- Sugar
How to Make Schezwan Sauce (Szechuan Sauce)
This spicy hot chili garlic sauce has lots of dried red chilies along with loads of garlic, ginger and some shallots. It’s not chili sauce if there is no schezwan peppers.
Chinese cooking requires minimal knife skills. If you can chop fresh ginger, fresh garlic and shallots fine, you sauce consistency turns out great.
If you can’t chop ingredients fine, use food processor to do the fine chopping, but do not make a paste. I find the texture and even the taste of this chili sauce changes if you use paste of ginger, garlic shallots instead of finely chopped.
Dried red chilies are soaked in water for few hours and then ground to paste.
Saute lots of garlic, ginger and shallots in sesame seeds oil until raw smell vanishes. Then add in ground chili pasta. Cook until oil separates from the side of the pan.
Add in soy sauce, ketchup, white wine vinegar, salt, ground schezwan peppers, and sugar.
Simmer for 5 minutes and it’s done!
You can use this spicy chili sauce in stir fry noodles.
Here’s an old but very popular recipe on curry trail
Does it make you crave for some stir fry noodles now?! I’m hungry now! 😛
Use this sauce in these recipes –
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Homemade Schezwan Sauce (Szechuan)
Ingredients
- 20 number dried red chilies 10 spicy hot red chilies and 10 mildly spiced ones like kashmiri or byadagi , for color
- 15 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 inch ginger finely chopped
- 4 tablespoon shallot finely chopped
- ½ cup sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground schezwan pepper corns
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon ketchup
- 4 tablespoon sugar brown sugar
Instructions
- Soak dried red chilies in warm water for about an hour. Then grind it into a smooth paste. If you want you can remove the seeds from the chilies
- Heat sesame oil in a pan. Add finely chopped ginger and garlic. Saute for a 40 seconds on low flame or until raw smell vanishes.
- Add finely chopped shallots and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Now add ground chili paste and cook until oil separates from the sides of the pan.
- Add salt, ground schezwan pepper corn , white wine vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, sugar. Mix and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Turnoff flame and let it cool completely. Store in air tight container refrigerated. This sauce stays good for few weeks(2-3 weeks) refrigerated.
- Use this Schezwan sauce in Schezwan noodles or fried rice recipe. Or serve it as dipping sauce with chicken nuggets.
Video
Notes
- The spiciness of this sauce widely depends on the variety of dried chilies that you use. Some variety of chilies are super hot, handle with caution.
- The reason I have used two different variety of chilies is to add vibrant color and good amount of heat to the sauce.
- If you can't find two variety of dried chilies, use one whichever is available to you.
- Taste sauce first ( tiny morsel of it maybe) to judge on the quantity of the sauce you want to use in your stir fry or other recipes.
- Sauce can be used in stir fry recipes, can be used as dipping sauce for dimsum and spring rolls or drizzled over tofu and served.
Revathi
I have been looking for a long time for a good homemade schezwan sauce recipe. I guess you have read my mind. Looks simple and fabulous 🙂
jyothirajesh
Thank you Revathi. I hope you give it a try.:)
Jayasri
Loved the lighting, homemade is always the best
jyothirajesh
Thank you dear. Good to have you on my space. Yes I agree, homemade always the best:)
Cheese Curd In Paradise
I love all of the information on the sauce and the proper traditional ingredients! This looks like a winner and I need to bring it to my table soon!
jyothirajesh
Thank you, if you have a palate for spicy food, you’ll love this sauce for sure
Emmeline
Love Szechuan (sp?) sauce! Gonna have to try this 🙂
jyothirajesh
Thank you
Marisa Franca
Well, the minute I saw spicy and Schezwan Sauce I knew I was going to get that recipe. I can’t wait to make this. We love our hot food and we’ve been purchasing the sauce for quite a while now. Homemade is always so much better. I’m looking forward to trying this out!!
jyothirajesh
If you like hot sauce then this will not disappoint you 🙂 Thank you Marisa
Danielle Wolter
Look at that gorgeous sauce! I am drooling just looking at it. It’s perfection. I am definitely going to make this –
jyothirajesh
Thank you Danielle
Kelly Anthony
This sauce looks spectacular! I love spicy so it’s right up my alley. Thank you for the recipe!
jyothirajesh
Thank you Kelly
Tammy
I’ve never thought about making my own but I love schezwan…the spicier the better…I’d be adding this to everything!
jyothirajesh
Thank you Tammy, we love this sauce with everything just like you
Dominique | Perchance to Cook
I like making my own sauces so that I can know exactly what is inside of them…and they tend to taste better homemade. I’m excited to try this Schezwan sauce!
jyothirajesh
Thank you
Charity
We grow and dry our own chilis so you know I’m gonna try this! Can you freeze the sauce?
jyothirajesh
I haven’t tried freezing the sauce. It stays good for few months in refrigerator. But i’m guessing it can be put in freezer
Kiki Johnson
WOWOWOW this looks like my new favorite condiment ever! I would love this with a grilled shrimp skewer – or even for breakfast to spice up my eggs! This one is bookmarked!
jyothirajesh
Oh yes, with grilled shrimp it’s great. Also with noodles, and drizzled over sauce…i could literally put it on everything
lauren
I am sweating just looking at the photos!! It looks so delicious though. I am definitely a spice lover and not afraid of a little heat. Can’t wait to try making my own sauce
jyothirajesh
Oh yes, you will sweat but you won’t be able to stop eating it (if you love spicy food). Thank you Lauren
Michelle
Wow, look at the colour of this sauce!! Such a great recipe, homemade is always best in my opinion. Can’t wait to try this.
jyothirajesh
Thank you
Marisa Franca
Just wanted to let you know that I made this sauce and wow was it good. Yes, it’s spicy but so much better than what we got at the Asian Market. I’ll be finding lots of ways to use it. Thank you for the share.
jyothirajesh
I’m glad you tried this recipe Marisa. Thank you
Elizabeth Leaver
Oh wow, this looks stunning! I love making my own sauces but I’ve never tried making Schezwan sauce. I’m going to have to give it a go, the recipe looks too good not to!
jyothirajesh
Thank you
Sharon
I want to put this sauce on everything! Everything I want to add heat to I can just add this. Perfect!
jyothirajesh
Thank you Sharon
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
Oh wow, my husband will love this! He is obsessed with spicy sauces. I have never tried to make my own homemade schezwan sauce. Pinning to attempt this weekend!
jyothirajesh
Thank you Sam
Natalie
Oh wow, this looks really like REALLY spicy 🙂 But I bet my hubby would loveee that sauce. I love the colour and the addition of ginger. Sounds so tasty. Must give this a try.
jyothirajesh
Thank you Natalie
Jennifer T Tammy
I love a GOOD Schezwan sauce – my Amah made the best one, but I’ll still give yours a shot 😉
jyothirajesh
I’d love that. Thank you
Rita
Hi
Just wanted to let you know that your photos are being used on Facebook by a ChefRajiv Jasani. Not sure if he has your permission, but he is claiming that they are his.
Jyothi Rajesh
Thank you very much for bringing it to my notice!
EK
Beautiful recipe! I doubled and will give as gifts. Thank you!
Jyothi Rajesh
I’m soo glad you loved this sauce. Definitely great for gifting. Thank you for sharing!