Chia Seed Chili Sauce
Sauces can be what makes good dinners great. What people remember about a meal may be the sauce you served with that steak. The extras make a meal memorable. Plus, they can help bulk up a meal and provide more nutrients. Because chilies are used in so many sauces for heat, here’s a recipe for chia seed chili sauce that you can use at any meal.
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Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Yield: 24 servings
6 red chilies
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large tomatoes
1/4 cup whole chia seeds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups chicken stock
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Tear the chilies roughly into quarters and remove the seeds, but reserve them for use later.
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In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil and add the torn chilies. Simmer for 5 minutes, until softened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
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In a medium saucepan, combine the reserved chili seeds, allspice, pepper, and cinnamon over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the seeds are lightly toasted.
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Cut X’s into the bottoms of the tomatoes. Put the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water and allow to sit for a few minutes, until the skins soften.
Remove the skins and the seeds from the tomatoes. Chop the tomatoes roughly.
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In a blender, put the chilies and the water they were cooked in. Add to the blender the chili seed and spice mixture, the chopped tomatoes, and the chia.
Blend for 1 or 2 minutes until well combined. Pour this puree back into the saucepan.
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Add the garlic, salt, and chicken stock to the saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Stir the sauce often to prevent it from sticking.
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Serve the sauce immediately. Store any unused sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Per serving: Calories 18 (From Fat 7); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 143mg; Carbohydrate 2g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 1g.
Following is a ranking of the heat of common chili peppers. The scale is from 0 to 10, with 10 being the hottest:
Chili Pepper | Heat |
---|---|
Amarillo | 4–5 |
Anaheim | 2–3 |
Bird@’s eye | 7–9 |
Cayenne | 6–7 |
Chipotle | 6–10 |
Habanero | 8–9 |
Jalapeño | 5–7 |
Poblano | 3 |
Scotch bonnet | 10 |
Serrano | 7 |
Thai | 6–7 |