Habanero Chile Garlic Sauce Recipe

Everyone who likes spicy food and has tasted this sauce says it would sell very quickly. If you've followed our family's culinary adventures, you may know how much Daddy (my father-in-law) loves anything spicy. My husband Lulu planted Habanero chiles in planters last summer and Daddy made several jars so we could enjoy the chiles all the way through the winter. Daddy came up with a very easy but flavorful recipe for chile garlic sauce. Simply combine the same proportion of fresh garlic and Habanero chiles and complete with white vinegar, a touch of salt and sugar.

You can enjoy it as a condiment on the side like Daddy does, or I've also added half a teaspoon of the spicy mixture in sauces, dressings and marinades. It adds a pleasant, spicy zing to just about any dish.

Vietnamese Tamarind Sweet Crab (Cua Rang Me)

Vietnamese-style tamarind crab (cua rang me in Vietnamese) is an incredibly simple, yet absolutely mouth-watering dish. The real key to making this dish successfully is to have the freshest crab you can get. The roughly cracked pieces of crab are stir fried in a sweet and sour tamarind sauce. The sauce is made of tamarind, chili, Thai basil and garlic. The Thai basil imparts an intense fragrance to the sauce, and by extension, to the crab.

We eat this dish family style. No pretense here. Just get a large platter, fill it with the tamarind crab and put it in the middle of your dinner table. We don't have enough meat eaters in my house, so I always call over a couple of family members or friends to share in the bounty. Roll up your sleeves, and dig in!

Chili Garlic Sauce (Tuong Ot)

As promised, this is the recipe of tướng ớt, literally spicy dipping sauce in Vietnamese. It's ultra easy. This sauce is great for dipping and stir-frying. The last time I used this condiment was for my father-in-law's favorite Asian dish, green beans and tofu stir fry.

It contains the bare minimum ingredients: something sweet, something savory and of course a ton of spiciness. This blend has a delicious garlic flavor.

Every year, my husband Lulu plants an incredible amount of all sorts of chiles. My parents-in-law loves extremely spicy food. Before I got married, I hated spicy food. To be honest, I could barely handle a dash of black pepper, let alone a jalapeno or heaven forbid a habanero. I guess marrying into an Indian family helped my taste buds. I've gotten better. I'm learning.