Recipe -Ah Mai's special Hainanese Chilli Sauce

Ah Mai's Hainanese Chilli Sauce

Our beloved "Ah Mai" who taught me the special recipe - "Hainanese Chilli Sauce"

Today I am going to share with you a traditional family recipe that has been handed down through many generations. I am indeed honoured and privileged to learn this recipe from my husband’s late aunty who was fondly known as “Ah Mai” (aunty in Hainanese dialect). The recipe is making the special Hainanese chilli sauce that goes really well with the “Hainanese Chicken Rice”. Ah Mai told me that “Hainanese Chicken Rice” is not complete without the special chilli sauce. She shared with me the ingredients and the technique in making this special sauce. I have tried it many times and find it  really good.

Ingredients

600 gm of fresh red chillies
5 cloves of garlic
1 inch of ginger
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of fresh Calamondin juice or lime juice

Procedure

Wash and remove the seeds from the fresh chillies. Blend together with garlic and ginger.

Once blended, pour into a bowl. Mix well with salt, soy sauce and calamondin juice. Taste it and if it is too spicy add a little bit of sugar to suite your taste. Put into a bottle and keep in the refrigerator. You may serve as a dip or eat with the “Hainanese Chicken Rice”.

This article is dedicated to Ah Mai who left us last year. She is dearly missed but never forgotten. Having this “Hainanese chilli sauce” will always remind us of her sense of humour and her caring nature.