Hot
and Sweet, scorching and saccharine, Sweet Chilli Sauce brings together the
diametric opposites of the flavour spectrum. This timeless culinary combination
has ruled over our palates for as long as man has felt the urge to dip deep
fried carbs into tasty slop. Bringing these extremes together in harmony is nothing less than alchemy itself.
Like
all the best women, Sweet Chilli Sauce is a condiment divided: dual, complex,
difficult to read. Not to be second-guessed, she is all sweetness and light on
first acquaintance, massaging your ego with flattering pleasantries and fluttering eyelids. But beneath this charming exterior lies an
angry temper, an irascible fire. Treat her unkind, overload on her enslaving
qualities and she will leave you singed. Do not cross this sphinx; she has a
dark side.
I
thought my taste buds could do with a bit of invigorating for this challenge so I took the train
to Brighton where there were plenty of fresh-tongued Condimentalists eager for
a taste off. I packed my bowls, scoured the streets for every sauce in town,
and putting a mound of prawn crackers in the middle of the table, let them do the rest.
In
6th place:
Yeo’s Sweet Chilli Sauce (375ml) - £1.45 (from Taj the Grocer in Brighton).
The
Condimentalists were left unconvinced of that of this one’s claims to even be
in the competition. Suggestions that it might be a Worcestershire-Ketchup
hybrid masquerading as Sweet Chilli did not bode well. Acidic and shit: avoid
at all costs.
In
5th place:
Sharwood’s Sweet Chilli Sauce (150ml) – £1.39 (from Sainsbury’s).
Essentially
the sweet and sour sauce from a Chinese take away that’s been left out over
night in its polystyrene container. Plenty of sweet, but the heat was irritating not invigorating.
In
4th place:
Texturally
too smooth and lacked body. Over eager on the spice, over zealous on the
vinegar, with nothing much in between.
In
3rd place:
Mae Ploy Sweet Chilli Sauce (730ml) – £2.89 (from Taj the Grocer in Brighton).
Extremely
aromatic; if I closed my eyes the wafts of Thailand aroused concerning memories
of a mind lost to a full moon party. Complex flavours let down by an overly
thick texture.
In
2nd place:
Encona Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce (285ml) – 99p (from Waitrose).
A
classic fruity sauce with an afterglow to die for. Visible slivers of chilli
hung ticklish in the thick jam releasing a fire when aroused. Encona Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce had all the right ingredients, but perhaps lacked the perfect balance
of flavours to walk away with the prize.
And
in 1st place:
Tiger Tiger Sweet Chilli Sauce (200ml) – £1.65 (from Taj the Grocer in Brighton).
A
classic fusion of sweetness and spice supported by a durable texture that hung tantalising when dipped. Showing all round excellence, Tiger Tiger Sweet Chilli Sauce
dominated the field on all fronts and was a deserved winner. Buy it, dip it,
and enjoy the alchemy.
Tiger Tiger Sweet Chilli Sauce - Winner of the Condimental Sweet Chilli Sauce comparison.
