Schezwan Sauce vs Red Chilli Sauce: Difference and Comparison

Schezwan Sauce and Red Chilli Sauce is a Chinese recipe, this delicious gravy is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. It has a thick desi consistency mixed with vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, onion, and red chillies.

This popular food ingredient is used in a variety of Asian recipes from stir fry to vegetables or chicken.

Key Takeaways

1. Schezwan sauce is a spicy, tangy Chinese sauce made from red chilies, garlic, ginger, and various seasonings.
2. Red chili sauce is a simpler, hotter sauce made primarily from red chili peppers, vinegar, and salt, used as a condiment or ingredient in various cuisines.
3. Schezwan sauce offers a more complex flavor profile, while red chili sauce delivers a straightforward heat and tanginess.

Schezwan Sauce vs Red Chilli Sauce

The difference between Schezwan Sauce and Red Chilli Sauce is that Schezwan is a popular Chinese-style hot sauce used in sauces, soup recipes with a blend of soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil blended with a garnish of finely chopped green peppers and dry ginger, whereas Red Chilli sauce is made from ground red chilies, vinegar, and other spices that vary depending on your region

Schezwan is an Asian hot sauce made from soy sauce and sesame oil that has been popular in Chinese cuisine for more than a thousand years, moreover, Schezwan is an extremely spicy sauce made of soy sauce, fermented chili bean, garlic, and other spices.

Chili sauce is also known for its color. The red color we associate with traditional chilies originates from capsaicin in the seeds and membranes of ripe chilies.

Capsaicin has a low pH which makes it very water-soluble and accounts for why chili peppers are brightly colored where this property makes capsaicin suitable for coloration.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Schezwan Sauce	Red Chilli Sauce
Color	Pale yellow color	Deep red color
Spiciness	Less spicy than compared to Red Chilli Sauce	Spicier than compared to Schezwan Sauce
Main Ingredient	It does not contain chili.	It contains chili.
Used in	Asian Cuisine	Thai Cuisine
Contents	It contains palm sugar and oyster sauce.	It does not contain palm sugar and oyster sauce.

What is Schezwan Sauce?

Fabricated during the Qing Dynasty as an emulation of Sichuan food from Chin which is now considered a dish in its own right. Schezwan sauce can be utilized as a seasoning added to fried rice, noodles, and vegetables where it can also be used to flavor appetizers such as spring rolls and dumplings.

The amalgamation of soy sauce, sesame oil, and other ingredients means that the individual spices in Schezwan Sauce have to be hand-picked carefully to ensure they are not overwhelming with others.

Many restaurants outside of China have been serving dishes that are not made with Schezwan sauce at all but with sweet-and-sour sauces or black bean paste due to their cheaper price in comparison to authentic ingredients.

To resolve this issue, the Schezwan Promotion Council introduced a certification scheme for restaurants serving authentic Schezwan dishes. The flavors of Schezwan sauce can be attributed to the combination of different authentic Chinese ingredients such as soybean paste, fermented chili bean, and garlic.

The Schezwan sauce is also made using different herbs and spices such as ginger, powdered black pepper, cinnamon, star anise, and cloves, moreover, these ingredients are mainly used as flavoring agents in Chinese cuisine.

There are many variations of the sauce recipe. Some versions substitute chili bean for fermented soybean and use cornflour instead of potato starch. Some versions also add sweeteners such as sugar or honey.

Most versions have vinegar added to them but some recipes eliminate this ingredient or increase its amount to balance the taste of saltiness, sweetness, and spiciness so the sauce can be used as a dip or condiment that is served along with main meals or snacks instead of being eaten as a dish on its own.

What is Red Chili Sauce?

Red Chili Sauce is a condiment that is made of red or green chilies, vinegar, sugar, and salt. It has a fiery hot and sweet flavor which can range from mild to very spicy. The type of sugar used in the making of red chili sauce varies, as it may be white sugar, brown sugar, or palm sugar.

The most well-accepted type of Red Chili Sauce is sweet and spicy, but other varieties also exist. The spice hangs on the kind of chili used. In Vietnam, it is tinted orange and honey-based, whereas soy sauce may be counted in Thailand.

In Indonesia and Malaysia, Red Chili Sauce is well-known as sambal which is fundamentally defined as spicy.

Red chili sauce can be utilized as a dip for countless kinds of foods such as fish balls, corn bites, chicken wings, and spring rolls, moreover, it can even be utilized as an ingredient to flavor food or a dipping sauce for various types of foods like pizza.

In Japan, the type of red chili sauce called katsu is made from fermented and cooked red chilies and is used as a dipping sauce for fried chicken, beef, and vegetables.

Main Differences Between Schezwan Sauce and Red Chilli Sauce

1. Schezwan Sauce does not contain chili whereas Red Chilli Sauce contains chili.
2. Schezwan Sauce is less spicy than compared to Red Chilli Sauce whereas Red Chilli Sauce is spicier than compared to Schezwan Sauce.
3. Schezwan Sauce is pale yellow whereas Red Chilli Sauce is deep red.
4. Schezwan Sauce is mainly used in Asian cuisine whereas Red Chilli Sauce is mainly used in Thai cuisine.
5. Schezwan Sauce contains palm sugar and oyster sauce whereas Red Chilli Sauce does not contain palm sugar and oyster sauce.

References

1. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9498399/
2. https://ifst.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jfpp.15734
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713512004860

Last Updated : 18 July, 2023