Day: 15 September 2025

chutney, enchilada sauce, hoisin sauce, ketchup (x2), peanut sauce, pesto, plum sauce, sweet & salsa, sour sauce, teriyaki sauce – and a few bonus recipes

This post came from a bigger one called HOMEMADE MIXES that just kept growing and growing.
At length I finally had to divide it into sections to keep it manageable. Hence – the separation – sorry about any inconvenience it may have caused in your searching.

HOMEMADE ENCHILADA SAUCE

Stir to combine these dry ingredients:
3 T flour
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t crushed dried oregano leaves
1/4 t salt
pinch cinnamon
3 T oil – your choice
2 T tomato powder
2 cups vegetable broth
1 T vinegar – your choice
Directions:
1. Heat 3 Tablespoons of oil to sizzling temperature, add spice mix and stir to toast.
2. Whisk in 2 Tablespoons tomato powder, then slowly add 2 cup vegetable broth.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and gently simmer till thickened a bit.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in 1 Tablespoon vinegar.
Let sit till ready to use, or cover and refrigerate.

HOISIN SAUCE

Hoisin sauce is a thick, dark, fragrant sauce commonly used in Chinese cooking, in a stir fry, or as dipping sauce for Asian dumplings. Lots of different recipes – give this one a try.
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 T dark molasses
2 T honey
1 T toasted sesame oil (darker and more flavourful than regular sesame oil)
2 T rice vinegar
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 cloves garlic finely minced
2 T sriracha sauce or your favourite hot chili sauce
1/2 t black pepper
1 T miso paste
1/4 cup water with 1 T cornstarch made into a slurry

Directions: In a small saucepan over medium high heat, whisk together everything except cornstarch slurry. When sauce is bubbling, whisk in cornstarch slurry continuing to stir and simmer till it begins to thicken. When it is the desired consistency, remove from heat. Makes almost 2 cups. Pour into a pint jar and allow to cool.
STORE in fridge for 4-6 weeks.
Use it to glaze salmon, ribs, chicken, shrimp – a little goes a long way as it is highly concentrated.

HOMEMADE KETCHUP – 2 variations

It’s ironic that in most cases, condiments were homemade at first, and then commercially reproduced to taste as close to homemade as possible. Not really possible – but we become so accustomed to the commercial variation that we now try to make the homemade version taste like IT. How backwards is that? The homemade version is all about natural flavours and ingredients. Super easy, and tastes so much better than commercial if FRESH tasting is important to you.

HOMEMADE KETCHUP #1
For when you have lots of FRESH Garden tomatoes that need to be used up.

– Fresh Tomatoes
– salt and pepper
– optional: fresh garden hot pepper
– a little of your favourite vinegar: apple cider, red wine, even balsamic? Your choice.
– Tomato Powder¹
* some people might add a little sugar. I never have – it doesn’t appeal to me at all, but you do you.

1. Chop fresh garden tomatoes into a saucepan. Small, medium or large? Depends how many tomatoes you’re trying to use up. No need to peel tomatoes.
2. Put on medium low heat and bring to a boil. Be attentive at the beginning to prevent scorching; a lot of tomato juice will be created, but be sure your heat at the beginning isn’t too high. Stir frequently as it comes to a slow rolling boil.
3. At this point, you can cover the pot and let it gently simmer (just below the boiling point), for about an hour. Set the timer every 10 minutes to remind you to check on it, and give it a stir to prevent scorching.
4. To clarify: simmering is just below the boiling point. It uses moderate heat to soften foods slowly over time, before gradually adding seasonings and other ingredients.
5. After about an hour, you should notice that a lot of the tomato ‘water’ is evaporating and the sauce is thickening. Add a little salt. Since you’re working with an indefinite amount of tomatoes, I can’t tell you how much salt. Taste test. Start with 1/4 teaspoon and taste. Add 1/4 teaspoon at a time, taste testing as you go.
6. I really like what black pepper does to a savoury dish, so I add the same amount of pepper as I do salt. Once you’ve salted to your taste, add the pepper. Try adding equal amounts – you might be surprised at how much you’ll like it. I think black pepper is very under used in our culture.
7. If I have a nice garden pepper on the counter, I’ll chop it finely and add it. It adds some zing.
8. Add a little vinegar if you want. I generally choose a basil vinegar that I’ve made previously, but use what you have.
9. * Tomato Powder will thicken your ketchup adding beautiful colour, texture and that familiar tomato acid. Again, since you’re working with an indefinite amount of tomatoes to start with, it’s hard to say how much TOMATO POWDER you’ll want to use, but don’t over do it. Start with a tablespoon at a time, and stir to completely incorporate. Add another tablespoon and incorporate till you’re happy with the texture and taste.

That’s IT! You’re done. The way Tomato Ketchup was supposed to be.

HOMEMADE KETCHUP #2
For when you do not have fresh garden tomatoes – no worries, you’ve always got tomato powder.

1 c. *Tomato Powder²
3 1/2 c. water
1/3 c. honey or sugar – your choice
1/2 c. Cider Vinegar
2 tbsp. freeze dried chopped onions
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. black Pepper
1/2 tsp. dry Mustard
1/8 tsp. ground Allspice

directions:
In a medium sized pot combine all the ingredients. Stir to mix and bring to a boil, continuing to stir frequently.
Reduce heat and gently simmer, stirring frequently till ketchup reaches the perfect consistency for you. Expect that to be about 45 minutes – depending on thickness desired. Pour into glass jar and refrigerate. , continuing to stir frequently.
Reduce heat and gently simmer, stirring frequently till ketchup reaches the perfect consistency for you. Expect that to be about 45 minutes – depending on thickness desired. Pour into glass jar and refrigerate. Mine yielded 2 pint jars. Best to let it sit for a day to allow flavours to fully blend.

STORE 2 – 3 weeks in the fridge.
Use as you would normally use regular ketchup.

PLUM SAUCE – 2 variations

A sweet, tangy, and utterly delicious savoury sauce – bursting with flavour. It doesn’t matter what kind of plum you use. They’re all going to make it a little bit different, but that makes it unique to the year. Blue plums, black plums, red plums or even green plums – or a combination of some. Whatever you have on hand. *Try adding some rhubarb if you have some left at the end of the season.

How to use plum sauce in? and in what dishes?
As a dip: Typically plum sauce is used as a dipping sauce for Asian egg rolls or spring rolls or Asian dumplings. A sweet and tangy contrast to the crispness of an egg roll. But don’t stop there!
Meat: Use as a glaze when grilling chicken or pork; or on the table as a sauce to serve along side of pork roast.
Crackers: spoon a dollop on to of cream cheese and crackers. Or on a charcutere’ platter.
Vegetables: Drizzle over your roasted vegetables, or make a quick homemade salad dressing: start with your favourite oil and vinegar (try balsamic), with a little dijon mustard. Stir in a tablespoon or two plum sauce.
Stir Fried Meal: Add a few spoons full to your stir-fries right at the very end.
Cranberry sauce substitute: Use as you would a cranberry sauce with chicken or turkey. Use as a spread the next time you make turkey sandwiches.

Plum Sauce #1 – Simple

5 cups pitted and chopped fresh plums – or 4 cups if you’re chopping them in smaller pieces (dicing) – about 1.5 – 2 pounds
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 T soy sauce
2 cloves garlic minced
1-2 T grated fresh ginger or 1-2 teaspoons ginger powder
1/2 t red pepper flakes (optional)
* try switching out 1/4 – 1/3 of the plums for an equal amount of rhubarb – for a tangy twist

directions:
1. Put all together in medium sauce pan, bring to boil over medium heat.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer till sauce is thickened slightly – could be up to an hour.
3. Mash with a potato masher, or if you want a smooth consistency, puree with a blender. Personally I prefer more texture so I don’t puree, but go ahead and do you.

Remember this is a ‘sauce’, not a jam. The thickness you’re looking for is a little runnier than jam; something that can be spooned or even poured.
That’s it! It’s so easy its almost embarrassing. But its SO good. The vinegar, soy sauce and brown sugar are such a sweet and yet tangy combination. The perfect compliment to a tangy plum flavour.
This will be good in your fridge for a week or so.
But if you’ve got a lotta plums, double or triple it and process in pint (500 ml) or 1/2 pint (250 ml) jars in a hot water bath.
Process for 15 minutes once the hot water bath returns to a rolling boil.
Label with date and description and store up to two years.

*tip – this amount will yield about 3 250 ml jars / 1 cup / half pint.
10 cups chopped plums yielded 3 500 ml jars / 3 pints OR 6 250 ml / 1 cup / 1/2 pint
for more direction on home canning click HERE

Plum Sauce #2 – more robust

16-18 cups (about 4 pounds plums pitted and chopped)
1 medium onion, diced
3 large garlic cloves minced
1.5 cups brown sugar
1.5 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup shredded fresh ginger OR 1 Tablespoon powdered ginger
1 Tablespoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1+ Tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cloves

directions:
1. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
2. Reduce heat to medium low and gently simmer 60-90 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Makes 9 half pint (250 ml) jars.
Process in hot water bath for 15 minutes. for more direction on home canning click HERE

I am usually making preserves according to the produce I have on hand that I want to find good use for. It’s a rare time I buy an ingredient for a recipe. I choose recipes to match what I HAVE on hand. That’s the whole point – to use what I have.
Q: So what if you don’t have enough plums to make this recipe?
A: be flexible. What do you have that will compliment the flavour and profile?
In the season of plums, I generally also have apples, and the last of the rhubarb left. Perfect! Both are excellent companions for the taste of a plum sauce. So here’s a suggestion variation:
Substitute half of the plums for apples and/or rhubarb. Will it taste exactly the same as plum sauce? Of course not. But will it be good and will you like it? Why wouldn’t you? Open your mind – be flexible and be creative. And yes, it taste’s great.

PEANUT SAUCE (for Spring Rolls)

*I use this sauce to pour over or as a dip for Spring Rolls, but the truth is – it’s so yummy I may or may not eat it by the spoonful.
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup T rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup liquid honey
2 T sesame oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1/4 – 1/3 cup water (start with 1/4 cup and add a little more if needed
Whisk together to make creamy but dip-able sauce.
Can store in fridge for a week or two.

*BONUS – Spring Roll recipe
Spring rolls can seem intimidating, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly and be a pro in no time. It’s kinda like folding a burrito but tighter. The first few won’t be perfect, but don’t stress out – you’re just gonna eat ’em anyway.

filling: thin rice noodles, finely shredded: lettuce, cabbage, carrot; long thin cucumber wedges; chopped green onions, fresh cilantro and fresh mint. Small amount of sesame oil and little bit of salt.
1. Cook noodles in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Test. DON’T over-cook.
2. Drain and rinse immediately in cold water. Drain again.
OR
1. Soak them in warm water (not cold, not hot) for 10-15 minutes till softened.
2. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again. T
3. Drizzle 2 T sesame oil over top and 1 t. salt to keep from sticking together. Set aside.
*hint: have everything ready to go so that you can focus on the rice paper and folding.

wrapper: Rice Paper Sheets
building the rolls
1. lay a round rice paper sheet one at a time in a pie plate of cool water – 10-20 seconds till pliable. Lay on a clean tea towel and place a few pieces of lettuce about one-third from the bottom of the wrapper. You want to leave a couple inches open on the two sides for wrapping.
2. Add remaining ingredients in whatever order you prefer, but I like to do – lettuce, cabbage, carrots, green onions, topped with a couple wedges of cucumber and then sprinkled with the chopped herbs . Leave the top third of the wrapper open for wrapping.
3. Gently pull the bottom of the wrapper up and over the filling. Try to keep the filling as tight as you can as you roll upwards, until the filling is enveloped. Pull the sides over to enclose the filling completely. Continue rolling till fully wrapped.

The more you do, the tighter they’ll get. You may have to eat the first one to get rid of the evidence of it.

PESTO

I am a huge fan of PESTO – in fact, many PESTOS. I grow a lotta Basil for the sake of Pesto, but don’t limit yourself to just basil. You can use many different green herbs, or a combination of some of them. A whole new world of pesto awaits. I have a few different Pesto recipes elsewhere on this site, so instead of pasting them all here – I’m including the links.
basil pesto
oregano pesto
nasturtium pesto
radish green pesto
I hope you’ll go check them out, and even make up a batch or two in the summer when all is fresh and green.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

Sweet and sour sauce is a exactly what its name suggests: sweet AND sour. Many people use a splash of red food colouring to give it it’s signature red colour. Don’t do that! Use my secret ingredient to get a full bodied flavour, and an all natural, gorgeous red colour.

I grew up on sweet and sour meatballs or short ribs – complete with food colouring. It was the way of things in those day. You could go out and buy a bottle if you crave that food colouring, but it’s SO easy to whip up your own. It tastes better. is free of all those nasty “unpronounce-ables”, and it’s cheap.
Great to use as a Dipping sauce for ribs, egg rolls, and dumplings.
Great to serve your meatballs in, or to even add to your pulled pork dish.
Great to use in your stir fried vegetables and chicken over rice.
Great to use as a glaze when grilling chicken pieces, hamburgers or porkchops.
Great to even use as a pizza sauce for an Asian twist. Be creative.

In small saucepan, dissolve 1/2 cup brown sugar
in 1 cup pineapple juice
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.
Create a cornstarch slurry with
1 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons water.
Pour into the pineapple juice and stir while it simmers and begins to thicken.
Add 3 Tablespoons of *TOMATO POWDER* and continue stirring to completely dissolve.
Add 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
and 1/2 cup rice vinegar, continuing to stir.
When its the perfect consistency, turn the heat off and serve!

Pour into a pint jar and allow to cool. Makes almost 2 cups.
STORE in fridge for 2-4 weeks.

TERIYAKI SAUCE

1 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 T honey
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 garlic clove minced OR 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 T cornstarch mixed into a slurry with 1/4 cup cold water and set aside

Combine everything except cornstarch slurry into a small sauce pan. Bring to medium heat and whisk ingredients till thoroughly combined. Slowly add cornstarch slurry whisking constantly till its thickened to desired consistency. Use as you would any other teriyaki sauce. Make ahead and Store in a glass jar in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.

SALSAS

a Salsa is any of a variety of sauces used as condiments for tacos and other Mexican origin dishes. They can be raw or cooked, used as sauces or dips, and are generally served at room temperature. A similar condiment with an Indian flare is chutney.

MANGO CUCUMBER SALSA with LIME
2 cups freeze dried mangoes OR fresh mango diced
2 cups freeze dried cucumbers OR fresh cucumber diced
1 cup freeze dried red bell peppers OR fresh pepper diced
1/4 cup freeze dried chopped onions OR 1/2 medium red onion diced finely
1/4 cup vegetable oil – your choice
1/2 cup water if using freeze dried OR 1/4 cup water if using fresh
1 T Lime powder OR juice of one lime (don’t be afraid to add more LIME)
up to 2 T honey
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro

1. Combine all produce in a bowl.
2. Prepare dressing on the side and drizzle over top.
3. Let sit for a few minute before serving.
   
   * When you’re using freeze dried ingredients you can prepare this ahead in a jar, all except for the liquids. When you’re ready, just pour into a bowl, add water and oil, stir to combine and presto! You’re done. You’ll have to forego the fresh cilantro, or add it later.
   This is wonderful for me because I can have ‘fresher-than-fresh’ mango salsa any time it appeals to me.
   You can store this freeze dried ‘mix’ in a sealed jar for 6 months to a year. Once it is prepared, you can keep it in the fridge for up to a week.

FRESH RHUBARB SUMMER SALSA
click link for recipe
I call this ‘summer salsa’ because of the many other ingredients that are plentiful in a summer garden, but not so plentiful in the spring as early as rhubarb is ready. This combination is terrific, delicious all by itself. Who said rhubarb has to be sweet? When you use it as a vegetable, you’re a little more willing to use less sugar. Only 1 tablespoon of brown sugar with over 8 cups vegetables.

FRESH RHUBARB CHUTNEY
click link for recipe
I love the sweet spicy smell that fills the house with this gorgeous spiced rhubarb chutney. So delicious, you can eat it straight. Personally I wouldn’t can it, simply because I’d prefer not to cook it that long, but you can always freeze the fresh rhubarb so that you can make this a few times in the off season. So quick and easy, and the bonus is that your house will smell GREAT! Lovely served over pork roast, beef or chicken – or wherever you use chutney.
Enjoy!

Have fun with all these different sauces. Be flexible and be creative.
I hope you’ll share your successes with me below.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

footnotes:

1. Tomato powder – see below ↩︎
2. Tomato Powder is an important part of my kitchen staples. I use it often. You can buy it, or make it by dehydrating your garden tomatoes, then powdering them in the blender. When I make my own, I try to be careful not to powder too finely, as I prefer a more ‘flakey’ texture. *Tomato powder WILL absorb moisture from the air and compress in time. No worries, just use a fork to loosen it and use it anyway. It’s still excellent quality, just responding to the moisture. Keep a tight lid on it to prevent that as much as possible. ↩︎

Learn how to make and use TOMATO POWDER. Recipes and suggestions. Click HERE