Hot Sauce Recipe

You’ll be amazed how easy this hot sauce recipe is to make. You’ll need a bit of patience though, the one I recommend making ferments the chillies over about a week to create an amazing complex flavour, take the heat down a touch, and create a probiotic with is great for you. You can make it with green or red chillies, depending on how daring you are! You can skip to step 5 if you’re in a rush and don’t want to ferment the chillies. You will absolutely love this hot sauce!

Prep Time: 1 week

Cook Time: n.a.

Difficulty: Easy

Serves: Makes 1 bottle

Ingredients

  • Red or Green Chillies - 250g

  • Garlic - 3 large cloves (skinned)

  • Juniper Berries - 6

  • Cumin Seeds - 2tsps

  • Chilli Flakes - 1 tsp

  • Salt - 2 tsps

  • Bottled (or Filtered) Water - 500 ml

  • White Wine Vinegar - 3 tbsps

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

  • Sealable Jar

Method

Note: if you’re not fermenting the chillies, skip to step five.

Hot Sauce Step One - Boil Your Jars

If you’re fermenting the chillies, first step is to sanitise the jars.

There are quite a few ways to do it, but my preference is the way Kilner advise (https://www.kilnerjar.co.uk/sterilising-jam-jars-hygiene). Putting in warm water, bringing up to the boil, and boiling for 10 minutes.

 

Hot Sauce Step Two - Stacking Chillies

Using gloves (I found this out the hard way() remove the tops from the chillies and cut them in half length-ways.

Pack the jar with the chillies, garlic, juniper berries, cumin seeds, and chilli flakes.

 

Hot Sauce STEP Three - BRINE

Next is to get the brine ready for fermentation. The ratio of salt to water is important; too little and harmful bacteria can be produced, too much and there’ll be no fermentation.

Whisk the 2 tsps of salt into the 500g of water in a pan over a medium heat until the salt is fully dissolved. Allow the water to cool back down until it’s just warm.

Then pour water into the jar with the chillies until they’re submerged.

 

Hot Sauce STEP Four - Bubbles

Loosely seal the jar lid (gas will build up as the chillies ferment so don’t seal the jar too tight as it’ll explode the jar- the photo is what happens if the lid’s too tight and you open it - think chilli soda coming out of a shaken can!).

Place the jar someone where warm out of direct sunlight. and leave for a week, release any built up pressure by opening the lid for a few seconds also (with the lid sealed, give it a little shake every now and then).

You should hopefully see some small bubbles forming on the chillies and the brine going cloudy after a few days.

 

Hot Sauce STEP Five - It’s Straining

After a week, strain the chilli mix - keeping the brine (you’ll need some in a bit).

Add the chilli mix to a blender with the 3 tbsps of white wine vinegar and blend.

Add the brine to the chilli blend little by little until you reach a desired consistency.

(Note: if your’re not fermenting the chillies you can jump straight to this step, just take the tops of the chillies, and add them, the garlic, juniper berries, cumin seeds, and chilli flakes to the blender with the vinegar and a little salt and water, then blend).

 

 

Hot Sauce STEP SIX - Straining Again…

Straining.jpg

Sieve the now blended chilli mix to remove the seeds and pulp (if you want it really hot then skip this stage and leave the chilli seeds / pulp in).

You’ll need to push the liquid through the sieve with the back of a spoon to get it all.

 

Hot Sauce STEP Seven - Hot Sauce

Hot Sauce - FC.jpg

Once combined, you have your fermented hot sauce.

Transfer to a jar of your choice. If you’ve fermented it, it’ll still continue to gentle ferment even after being put in the fridge. Pros - the flavour will continue to develop and become even more amazing. Cons - you’ll still need to release the pressure from the bottle every now and again.

And that’s it, hope you enjoy!