Advantages: Easy oriental cooking
Disadvantages: Too much like Kung Po?

...I still cannot really tell the difference between thai food and chinese. I have been told that different spices are used in thai cooking - but I 'm afraid that I can't really distinguish between the two. I guess my palate is not cultured enough! Perhaps there is a Ciao member out there that can help - and write a review on the difference between thai and chinese. I have developed a passion for world cuisine and on every shopping trip I make an effort to find different sauces. I recently stumbled across thai sweet chilli. Upon reading the pre-amble on the jar - and the ingredients I noted that it was just like Kung Po sauce. With the love affair I have with Kung Po I had to give this a go...................... The brand I picked was Uncle Bens. The only reason for this was that it is a reliable and well known brand - and I have yet... Read review

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Advantages: A good accompanyment for any meal.
Disadvantages: Bottle could be bigger

...With a family to feed on a tight budget I am always on the look out for that little something that will transform the most basic of meals into something special.I am pleased to tell you that I have finally found what I was looking for in SHARWOODS SWEET CHILLI DIPPING SAUCE. The sauce is based on a Szechaun recipe.Szechaun is the largest province in China, humid and wet in the summer and mild in the winter, it is one of Chinas rice bowl areas, and is well known in the Orient for producing dishes combining hot, sweet, sour flavours all at once and they certainly achieve that here. Ingredients; Water Sugar Chillies(25%) Tamarind Modified corn starch Acetic Acid Salt Citric Acid This is a very versitile sauce that Sharwoods reccomend as suitable with Chicken, Pork, Turkey,Vegetables and even Tofu.Personally I found... Read review

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Advantages: Goes with Practically anything
Disadvantages: Need a larger bottle

...This dipping sauce is by far my favorite choice of dipping sauce, its spicy but not overly spicy, its sweet and has a slightly sticky texture with a hint of garlic which goes lovely with almost anything, I myself am not keen on anything too spicy but this is just right, it has real bits of chilies in it which add nicely to the sweet flavor. I have yet to fine another sauce to beat this one; I would easily give it 10/10. I cannot say that there is anything that I dislike about it apart from wishing I could find a bigger bottle of it. The packaging is attractive with a very oriental theme as it is a Thai sauce, the label says it all '' A rich blend or red chilies and garlic, perfect as a dip or cooking ingredient'' Its perfect for almost anything ranging from being a dip for spring rolls, rice crackers, chips etc; it can also be used... Read review

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Advantages: Goes with lots of things, not too hot, good value, widely available.
Disadvantages: Very sweet, contains lots of sugar.

...Blue dragon are a quality range which sell a wide range of chinese products such as sauces and noodles. The range is available is most UK supermarkets. Blue dragon sweet chilli dipping sauce is a bright pinky/orange coloured sauce that's quite see through although you can see the finely chopped bits of chili and garlic in it. The taste of the garlic isn't prominent. The sauce is very sweet with a fair amount of bite to it but not too much fire. Given it's high quantities of sugar the sauce should only be used in small measures. I like to use this sauce for dipping in particular. It's great with things such as big prawns, spring rolls, prawn crackers and chinese wantons. Blue Dragon sweet chilli also goes surprisingly well with mayonnaise and hence is good with chips or potato wedges. Additionally, the sauce is also good... Read review

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Advantages: Nice bits of chilli.
Disadvantages: A little too sweet.

...The explosion of thai food in the U.K has led to quite a few exotic products making their way into your local shop. One of these which I am quite addicted to is Blue Dragon Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce. Packaging --------- Comes in a clear 190ml bottle with a blue and purple label and a white top. Personally, the design doesnt appeal as it could stand out more, but the clear bottle lets you see what you are getting and boy are you going to get it. Price & Availability -------------------- I've purchased this at many a good supermarket including Morrisons, Sainsbury's, ASDA and Tesco. Its a very popular brand and you should have no problems popping one into your trolley on your weekly shop. Check out the ethnic food section of your store. Since it's only about 77p, it's something anyone who likes spicy/chinese/thai food... Read review

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Advantages: Easy to prepare, nutritious, attractive.
Disadvantages: Tastes bland.

...I felt like having a hot lunch but couldn't be bothered to cook, so I thought I would try this product which has been lurking in my freezer for a while. Before I go on, I should point out that it is from the Findus "Feeling Great!" range - they do not produce a "Feeling Good" range, despite the Ciao category name. Initial Impressions = Where available, the product is located in the freezer section of your supermarket. It is essentially chicken and pasta with a sweet chilli pepper sauce, interspersed with a small selection of vegetables - the sort of meal that is normally described as "[standard meal] with a twist". The box looks very appealing; the main picture being a colourful photo of the cooked food. It is cunningly designed with two slot tabs at each side, which you pull out to open the flaps. The food... Read review

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Advantages: taste lovely
Disadvantages: Too many is too hot

..."Divine with Wine". The words "Thai Sweet Chilli" are in red and orange. Underneath that, it says flavour crisps and new recipe. At the bottom of the bag, the calories per serving. Each 35g serving contains 175 Calories (9%), Sugar 1.1g (1%), Fat 9.8g (14%), Saturates 0.9g (5%), Salt 0.6g (10%). The percentages in brackets are an adult's guideline daily amount. On the back of the packet, it goes into further detail about the crisps. "In this bag, real chilli creates a gentle heat, while a dash of soy sauce, onion, tomato and garlic add a delicate sweetness for a sublime taste contrast." Doesn't that sound lovely? Also you will find on the back of packet typical nutritional information, best before date, that it's made with SunSeed (one of the healthiest oils there is), that there's 60% less saturated fat than in 2006 and which wine... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap hot suitable for veggies
Disadvantages: Economy brands are not always favoured

..., on the hob on a low light for 20 minutes, not only did it seem to thicken due to the beans but also the lingering smell of tomato and spices permeated the kitchen. When the 20 minutes were up the sauce had thickened but not a great deal however the beans were well coated in a deep brown/red sauce. So looking and smelling ok but how about the taste? TASTE & VERDICT There was a definite chilli bite to the sauce with a distinct taste of black pepper however the tomato was, well… not overly tomato although the smell would suggest there was and a major disappointment was the sweetness, perhaps less sugar is required, more tomato puree would be ideal in the sauce recipe but generally a good base for a chilli. This chilli at least tastes like chilli although neither good nor bad there is the chilli pepper and the tomato but if like me... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: very tasty, very hot, too addictive
Disadvantages: can be pricy

...THEY TASTE LIKE:- As i said they are sweet but spicy and leave a tangy taste in your mouth. They can be very hot so be prepared - they are not for the faint hearted. They contain garlic powder, ground chilli, soy sauce, tomato powder and onion powder - quite a combination. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:- For those intereseted or weight watching a 40g bag contains 194 calories and 10.8g fat. They also claim to be suitable for vegetarians. ANY OTHER INFORMATION:- They are available in larger bags at a price varying between £1.00 and £1.50 For those who like these other flavours in the Sensations range include:- sea salt and black pepper Oven roasted chicken and thyme Four cheese and red onion Slow roasted lamb and mint Tangy tomato and red pepper salsa. In my opinion these are definately the best (especially washed down... Read review

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Advantages: cheap and easy
Disadvantages: where's the chilli?!

...I'm back in Cambridge for a few days, and have realised that we have lots of rice that needs using up! Tempting as it was to make my own chilli, it's so much easier to buy ready-made sauce, and they're not usually that bad. The only sauce available in our local Co-op was of the tinned, Homepride variety, so that would have to do! At £1.25 or so, the tin was pretty good value for money - even more so because it's now a "new large size" containing no less than 500g of the sauce! You'll find this stuff in the sauces aisle of your supermarket - it's a blue tin with the little black and white Homepride guy on the front, pointing to a big plate of delicious-looking curry. However, on closer inspection of the tin, I was amazed to see that chillis are not among the ingredients that this stuff contains - I'm guessing that they come under... Read review

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