Sweet and spicy garlic sauce

This is a great spicy, and also slightly sweet and slightly salty stir-fry sauce!

I used this recipe , with a few modifications. It makes 1/2 cup of sauce, which I think should be enough for two servings. I refrigerated the other serving of sauce for a future recipe.

2 tbsp. rice vinegar 2 tbsp. sugar 1 tbsp. dark soy sauce 1 tbsp. soy sauce 2 tsp. rice wine, sake, mirin, etc. 1 tbsp. chili sauce 1/2 tsp. hot pepper sesame oil

1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch 1 tbsp. water

1 tbsp. peanut oil 4 cloves garlic

I dramatically increased the chili sauce from 1/4 tsp. to 1 tbsp.. I used Lee Kum Kee chili garlic sauce, so there's extra garlic flavor, too. I also used hot pepper sesame oil instead of regular sesame oil and increased the amount.

I didn't have Chinese dark soy sauce, so I just used 2 tbsp. regular soy sauce.

Combine the first group of ingredients (through sesame oil) in a small bowl.

In another small bowl combine the cornstarch and the water to dissolve the cornstarch.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about a minute, making sure it doesn't burn.

Add the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, etc. mixture and stir. Increase the heat and bring to a boil.

Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened to the desired consistency.

This should make about 1/2 cup of sauce (2 servings). I got a little less than that; this is a quarter cup measure:

Nutrition information for one serving, approximately 1/4 cup. 172 calories per serving, but it's very, very delicious.

The sauce should be vegetarian, vegan, and dairy-free, at least with the Lee Kum Kee chili garlic sauce.

It contains wheat gluten, unless you use gluten-free soy sauce.

It will contain tree nuts if you use peanut oil but you can substitute canola.