How to Make Sweet Chilli Sauce

Our chilli plant grows more chillies than we can eat so we end up offloading then on friends and family most of the time. Yesterday I removed five more red chillies, possibly the last harvest of the season. The very last chilli for the season is still hanging in there but the caterpillars and cold air aren't filling me with much hope for this little guy.

No matter, I still have a whole bag of them in the freezer and some dried ones in the cupboard to get us through the winter.

So, apart from drying and freezing what can you do with extra chillies?

Sweet Chilli Sauce

8 medium red chillies

4 cloves garlic, minced

500mls (2 cups) white vinegar

500g (2 cups) raw sugar

Remove about 80% of seeds then finely chop.

• Roughly deseed chillies, (leaving about 20% of the seeds) and finely chop or use the food processor (adding some vinegar will help process it)

• Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat on low until sugar is dissolved.

• Bring mixture to the boil for  2 minutes (stirring) then reduce to a simmer for 40 minutes stirring every 5-10 minutes.

• Pour sauce into your chosen bottle, sauce will thicken on cooling.

Tips: For a milder sauce you can substitute some chillies for capsicum (red peppers).

If you like it hot, leave more of the seeds in.

For a thicker sauce, leave to simmer longer.