I make this at home and make it in bulk. Once made it stores in the refrigerator forever. I do not use any food colouring for this recipe. This is perfect for pork chops with a series of other ingredients and for schezwan dishes. You can also use it as a dipping sauce. Do not change the recipe or the ingredients.

Onions – 500 grams
Garlic – 200 grams (after cleaning)
Ginger – 50 grams
Celery stalks – 100 grams
Tomato sauce – 250 grams
Kashmiri chillies – 100 grams
Soya sauce – 6 tbsp
Vinegar – one tbsp
Ajinomoto – 1 tsp
Salt – 2 tbsp
Oil – 300 ml

Finely chop onions, garlic, ginger and celery. Soak the Kashmiri chillies in hot water for two minutes. This enhances the colour and softens the skin. Grind this with water to form a thick paste.

In a nonstick deep dish add all the oil and fry the onions till they are translucent. Please do not brown the onions. Add the ginger and garlic and cook out the raw flavours . Now add the celery and cook for two minutes. Add the chilli paste, stir well and add half a cup of water and cook this for the next ten minutes. Add soya sauce, tomato sauce, vinegar and salt. If need be add more oil and cook on a low heat for the next ten minutes. You will notice the colour deepens. The excess oil helps in the preservation. Finish with ajinomoto