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How To Make Turkish Kebab Shop Chilli Sauce

Learn how to make the best Turkish kebab shop chilli sauce with this homemade recipe. It’s so easy to make and packed full of flavour; you’re going to be pouring this sauce on everything!

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Ever wondered how to make the red chilli sauce served in Turkish kebab shops? The garlic sauce and red chilli sauce has always been my go-to choice when having a Turkish takeaway. Not only is this chilli sauce good for kebabs, but it can also be used in so many ways: it’s great as a dip, to drizzle over meats and to add to noodle dishes too.

With just a few ingredients and one simple step, you can make your own homemade hot chilli sauce without even going to the kebab shop!

Why You’ll Like This Turkish Chilli Sauce Recipe

It’s So Quick: This red chilli sauce is ready in just one big step; no I’m not kidding. It really couldn’t get any easier than this, you can make this sauce whenever you want a hot chilli dip quick.

No Cooking Involved: This is a no-cook recipe, so there’s no cooking involved at all. All you need to do is blend all the ingredients together. You can simmer the mixture on a medium heat to thicken the mixture slightly but this step is optional.

The Flavour: This red chilli sauce is not just full of chillies, just like many authentic Turkish recipes it’s flavoured with garlic and spices like cumin.

It’s Homemade: You know exactly what’s in it because you made it. You can also make homemade kebab shop salad and shish kebab to serve with this hot chilli sauce.

Watch How To Make It

How Many Chilli Peppers Should I Use?

The recipe is very versatile, you can make this sauce as hot as you like. The number of chillies used can be adjusted to suit your own heat tolerance. Plus, you can also use different types of chillies too.

I used 2 red chillies and half a scotch bonnet; scotch bonnets are really hot so avoid using them if you’re quite sensitive to heat.

In general, using one red chilli will give you a mild sauce, two chillies will give you a medium sauce and 3 will give you a hot sauce. This is just a rough guide; this will differ depending on the type of chillies you use. If you’re using scotch bonnet a whole chilli will be quite hot.

Should I Remove The Seeds From The Chillies?

Whether you leave the seeds in or take them out is completely optional. I sometimes take them out and at other times leave them in, depending on how I feel.

Contrary to popular belief, the hottest part of the chilli come from the pith and ribs of the pepper, not the seeds. So you may choose to leave the seeds in if you wish.

Recipe Ingredients

Below are the few ingredients needed to make this Turkish takeaway red chilli sauce:

Chillies: I used 2 red chillies and half a scotch bonnet; you can use 1 to 3 chillies depending on how hot you like it.

Tin Tomatoes & Tomato Puree: I brought chopped tin tomatoes. Tomato puree is also added you can use tomato ketchup instead, it will also add a slight sweetness.

Red Onion & Garlic: I roughly cut the onions and garlic before adding them to the blender as it blends more easily.

Wine Vinegar & Olive Oil: I used red wine vinegar but you can use white wine vinegar or cider vinegar. This adds a hint of acidity to the red chilli sauce.

Flavourings: A mixture of salt, black pepper, fresh parsley and sugar are added to the chilli sauce. I added a teaspoon each of salt and pepper but you can season the sauce to your taste.

How To Make Turkish Kebab Shop Red Chilli Sauce

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make this homemade red chilli kebab sauce recipe. Full instructions are on the recipe card at the bottom.

Step One:

Place all the ingredients into a blender or food processor. You can chop the onions into quarters, half the chillies and garlic beforehand for it to blend easily.

Blitz until you have reached your desired thickness. I used my Ninja blender and blitz the ingredients for 12 seconds. Remember to close the lid properly and give the closed cup a shake to mix the ingredients together before blending.

Step Two: (Optional)

If you would like to thicken the sauce slightly. Heat a pan over a medium heat and add the sauce to it, leave to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened stirring occasionally.

How To Store Red Chilli Sauce

If you have any red chilli sauce leftover, pour into an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can freeze this chilli dip to use at a later date. Simply place any leftovers in a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer.

You can also pour the sauce into these screw top jars.

Is This Homemade Chilli Sauce Vegan Or Gluten-Free?

Yes, this chilli sauce is absolutely vegan and gluten-free! Double check the ingredients before to avoid any traces.

My Top Tips For Making Kebab Shop Chilli Sauce

Though there are only 1 (or 2) steps to making this chilli sauce, below are a few tips to make this recipe even easier:

Be careful when touching and cutting the chillies, you do not want to touch your eyes after! Be extra careful with hot chillies like scotch bonnet, wash your hands after touching it or wear gloves.

Add some mint sauce to the blender with the rest of the ingredients for even more flavour!

You can blend all the ingredients together leaving out the salt and pepper, then add it to the mixture once the sauce is made. Start off with a small amount then add more if needed. You don’t want to add too much at once, as it can easily get too salty that way.

What To Serve With Kebab Shop Chilli Sauce

Lamb shish with Turkish red chilli sauce

Not only is the red chilli sauce really easy to make but you can also make homemade Lamb shish kebab and kebab shop salad. Eat this all together for a tasty Turkish takeaway feast. Below are even more ideas: