Last year we did a road trip from Toronto to Montreal and back. At one of the old portuguese restaurants we ordered grilled sardines. These were served with a really delicious chilli sauce, hot and slightly sour.

We bought a bottle of the sauce that we have enjoyed over the last months. However, when that sauce was eaten up, I was tempted to try a homemade version.

Ingredients

2 big dry chilies (I used Guajillo chilli )

1 Chinese garlic or 2-3 garlic pods

3-4 tbsp vinegar

4 -5 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Putting it together

Break the chilies into 3-4 pieces per chili and soak them in 2 tbsp vinegar and 2 tbsp oil for a few hours. Next time I will try this with lime juice instead of vinegar.

Clean and chop the garlic.

Add the garlic, chilies, salt and the rest of the oil to a blender and pulse slowly to get a coarse paste. Taste this and add some more of the vinegar / lime if needed. If you like a sweet & sour taste, add a pinch of sugar.

Mix well and transfer into ajar for storage. This sauce should keep in the fridge for a few weeks , if you do not eat it all up before that.

I made a small quantity since this was experimental. This means we can enjoy it fresh. Next time I may try a bigger amount.