on chili garlic paste...

I got inspired to start making this sauce at the restaurant after I had lunch at a place called Pho Viet. The lady that works there is known for her chili garlic paste, it's very delicious and 100 times better than sambal. The more I thought about it the more I realized that there is no reason why I shouldn't have something like that available for our guests. We get constant requests for spicy condiments at the restaurant, its nice for the servers to be able to offer something that is made in house. I did my research and played around with a couple of recipes. The one I'm currently using has 7 ingredients (dried thai chillies, sugar, garlic, salt, oil, vinegar, and lemongrass). I take the dried chillies and let them soak in boiling water for 30 minutes. Once the water is cool I remove the chillies and take the stems off. I chop the chillies real fine and fry them over medium heat in a good amount of canola oil and garlic. Once the garlic gets crispy and golden brown, I transfer the chili garlic mixture into a hotel pan and incorporate the rest of the ingredients. I have the recipe weighed out in grams, this step just assures me that it is going to come out the same every time. People love the chili garlic paste, homemade will always be better than store bought. It takes a little extra work but the rewards are great.