The sauce is what adds a zesty flavor to an otherwise bland dish. And the best part is, you can try your own combinations to enhance the taste as you like it – hot, mildly spicy, tangy, or a blend of sweet and savory. The choice is yours. Without the sauce, there’s really no fun in having a curry, or enjoying the plain spaghetti that’s just dried and fried noodles – it’s the sauce that lends it the lip-smacking taste we all long for.
There are tons of sauces across the world, all used in different measurements, combinations, and ways to create unique flavorful dishes. Here we take a look at the top 6 that can be used to add an extra zing to almost anything you add them to.
6 Yummy Sauces you’d want to Lay Your Hands-On
1. Barbecue Sauce
This is one of the most famous ones all over the world, popularly known as an excellent accompaniment with ribs or pulled pork. So much so that we can’t even imagine these dishes without barbeque sauce drizzled over them. Its sweet and tangy taste and caramelized texture is what makes it stand out of the crowd.
Make your own barbecue sauce at home:
- Use your favorite ketchup as the base.
- Add apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and a dash of hot sauce.’
- Whisk all the ingredients together well.
- Simmer the sauce on low heat for 10 minutes until it becomes thick.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately. You can also let it cool down to room temperature and then pour it into a big jar with an air-tight lid. Store it in the fridge for subsequent use.
- Tastes great with – ribs, chicken, pork, and salads
2. Green Habanero Hot Sauce
If you like to spice everything up a notch, then this one’s for you. An extremely hot and tangy sauce that makes everything taste good and better.
Make your own at home:
- Chop green habanero and carrots finely in a food processor.
- Heat some butter in a saucepan and add chopped garlic to it.
- Now add the habanero and carrots and sauté well until the carrots turn soft.
- Add apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir well.
- Add water to this mixture and simmer on low heat until the sauce becomes thick enough to be spread.
Tastes great with – soups, mashed potatoes, pork chops, and tacos
3. Chocolate sauce
This one’s pure bliss for those with a sweet tooth. Needs no introduction either; makes all desserts taste awesome with its rich chocolaty flavour.
Make your own chocolate sauce at home:
- Put ¾ cup white sugar, 1 ½ tbsp all-purpose flour, and ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder into a bowl and whisk well until all lumps are removed.
- Now heat 1 ¼ cup milk, 2 tbsp butter, and ½ tbsp vanilla extract in a saucepan on medium heat.
- Once the butter melts, start adding all the dry ingredients into the milk mixture little at a time.
- Increase the heat to medium-high until the mixture simmers. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, stirring all the while.
- Now turn off the heat and add a pinch of salt.
Tastes great with ice cream sundaes but be imaginative and pour hot over any dessert or store in air-tight jars and refrigerate.
4. Sweet chili sauce
This one for those who like a bit of sweet and spicy both. It’s got delectable flavors of both in each bite and you can run your imagination wild to use it anyway you like over a number of dishes.
Make your own sweet chili sauce in at home:
- Add ½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar, ¾ cup water, ½ cup white sugar, 5 finely chopped garlic cloves, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and ½ tbsp cayenne pepper in a non-stick pan.
- Stir on medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mix to a boil. Allow it to simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add 2 ½ tbsp of sambal oelek and mix well. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Now mix 4 tsp of cornstarch and 2 tbsp water and bring them to a smooth consistency. Add this to the sauce.
- Simmer the sauce for a further 2-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it arrives at the desired thickness.
As per your requirement, you can also make the sweet chili sauce in bulk quantity just by increasing the number of ingredients.
Tastes great with – chicken wings, bacon-wrapped shrimp, chicken strips, and stir-fries
5. Oyster Sauce
A flavor-enhancer often accompanying soy sauce in fried noodles, fried rice, and a host of other veg stir-fries. It’s got a unique aromatic fragrance and flavor of its own which can’t be substituted for in most Asian and Chinese recipes.
Make your own Oyster Sauce at home:
- Collect 4 tsp of canning juice from a can of shucked oysters. Pour the liquid in a small bowl.
- Blend the liquid with 8 tsp of soy sauce. Whisk together both the liquids well.
- Add 1 tsp sugar into the mix and whisk again until the sugar is fully dissolved into the liquid.
- Add seasonings as required. If needed, you may add another 1 tsp of oyster juice and another 1 tsp sugar. Mix well.
Tastes great with all stir-fries and essentially all Chinese cuisine
6. Peanut Sauce
Your chickens are absolutely incomplete without this amazing creation; the flavor of ground roasted peanuts is absolutely unbeatable. A must-try at home.
Make your own peanut sauce at home:
- Just blend together peanut butter, soy sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, chili sauce, adding a little water at a time until it gets thick but pourable.
Tastes great with – salads, spring rolls, chicken satay, and noodles
Summary
Sauces are perfect to go with almost anything, with immense potential to turn the blandest of the dishes absolutely lip-smacking! Try them at home and enjoy whatever you like.
