Ingredients
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey or more for sweeter
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger fresh minced ginger is good, too
1 teaspoon garlic powder fresh minced garlic is good, too
1 teaspoon sriracha or more to taste
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chicken stock
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
1-2 tablespoons cornstarch optional, for thickening
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon szechuan peppercorns lightly toasted and ground (or to taste - or use black peppercorns instead)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
Directions
1
Whisk all of the ingredients except the cornstarch together in a small pot. You can blend them in a food processor or blender if you'd like.
2
Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
3
If you'd like to thicken it, dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water until well mixed. Stir it into the szechuan sauce and stir until it thickens up, 2-3 minutes. For thicker szechuan sauce, use 2 tablespoons cornstarch.
4
Cool and serve.
5
Heat Factor: Mild, but there is some zing from the combination of chili pepper flakes and sriracha. You can easily heat things up with hotter pepper flakes, hot sauce, or adding in some hot chili powder.
Notes
Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.