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Chamoy
Sweet-sour chile sauce
Chamoy: Mexican sweet, sour and spicy apricot-hibiscus chile sauce for fruit and snacks
Brick-red and glossy, chamoy is the sauce Mexicans splash over fresh fruit, mango sorbet, crisps and the rim of a michelada glass. It is said to descend from Asian salted plum sauces, but today's version is pure Mexican: dried apricots and hibiscus simmered and blended with chile, lime, sugar and salt. Homemade chamoy is fruitier and less sweet than the bottled kind. Chef's tip: it thickens a lot as it cools, so take it off the heat when it still pours like warm ketchup.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the chamoy
- 5 ½ oz dried apricots
- 2 cups water
- 2 ⅞ oz sugar
- 1 tsp ground chile de árbol
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp lime juice
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (1)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put the 5 ½ oz dried apricots, ½ oz dried hibiscus flowers and 2 cups water in a pan and simmer, covered, over a low heat for 15 minutes until the apricots are plump and soft.
15 minStep 2: Strain, keeping the deep-red liquid, and discard the hibiscus flowers.
2 minStep 3: Blend the apricots with the liquid, 2 ⅞ oz sugar, 3 tbsp ground ancho or guajillo chile, 1 tsp ground chile de árbol, 1 ½ tsp salt and 4 tbsp lime juice until completely smooth.
3 minStep 4: Return to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, until it coats a spoon. Over-reducing is the usual mistake: it sets almost solid once cold.
5 minStep 5: Cool and pour into a clean jar. It keeps for 3 weeks in the fridge.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 50 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chamoy take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lime juice?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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