We are big fans of Hunan (a Bangalore-based Pan-Asian restaurant) and so when they sent us over their newly launched Hunan At Home range of ready-to-cook stir fry Asian sauces, we knew we had to whip up some hot chilli garlic noodles then and there. Chef Pema Takchung and Jagdish Menda, who are behind Hunan, are also behind this lineup of six sauces -- Chilli Garlic Sauce, Hot Basil Sauce, Black Pepper Sauce, Fried Garlic Sauce, Thai Herbs Sauce, and Ginger Soya Sauce (the last three have recently been launched). We love the fact that when you order these sauces you get a recipe book that features some of Hunan's signature and popular dishes, so folks outside Bangalore, this is your chance to recreate some of them.
This writer used the Chilli Garlic Sauce to make a mean Chilli Garlic Fried Rice from the recipe book. The recipes are easy and you don't need a lot of ingredients. The sauce was plenty to give the fried rice a nice garlicky flavour with that hint of heat. The Hot Basil Sauce was used by another LBB Crew Saniya Raza, to make a stir-fried beef. She found it quite aromatic, it was also a little tangy. Overall, tasty was the final verdict. From the way LBB's Content Head, Aakanksha Singh Devi, described the Black Pepper Sauce, we know it's our favourite.
The sauce really packs a punch. What was great about it is that it wasn't just a load of spice. It has distinct chilli and obviously black pepper. Don't take this one lightly. We tried it with chicken once and with tofu, both came out really well. It's easily made into a gravy, but if you want to make it drier, then add a bit less than what they say on the bottle. It's also wonderful to just add a dollop to a bowl of rice for just a zingy quick-fix meal!