Description
A simple, delicious recipe for Fermented Hot Sauce using fresh summer chilies, with no special equipment and only 20 minutes of hands-on time!
Ingredients
Saltwater Brine: ( 1 1/4 teaspoon salt per 1 cup of warm water) This is roughly a 3% Brine. (3 grams of salt per 100g of water)
- 5 cups filtered water
- 6 1/4 teaspoons finely ground sea salt (or Pink Himalayan salt) - use 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, per 1 cup of water.
- 2 Quart Mason Jar
Fillings:
- 16 ounces fresh chili peppers, sliced in half (about 6-7 cups) seeds & stem removed, see notes
- 1 medium organic carrot, very thinly sliced 1/16th-inch (do not peel!)
- 4-8 garlic cloves, cut into quarters
- 1-2 shallots, sliced (or 1/2 an onion)
After fermenting, add optional seasonings to taste. Keep in mind the "heat" will mellow with age.
- optional: herbs (oregano, cilantro, celery leaves) and spices (cumin, coriander, chipotle powder, smoked paprika)
- 1-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, (optional- for extra tang and for more healthy probiotics)
- honey or sugar to taste (optional, good if making Sriracha style)
- If your hot sauce is not hot enough, you can always add cayenne or ground chipotle to taste. Free free to add spices ( 1/2- 1 teaspoon) cumin, coriander, chipotle, allspice, etc. Make this your own.
Instructions
- Clean up. Wash your hands, jar, and utensils. Not sterilized, just clean. 🙂
- Brine. In a pitcher, stir the sea salt into the water until dissolved.
- Prep veggies. Slice the peppers in half, and remove stems and seeds. If your peppers are very hot, wear gloves. Save one big piece for the top and cut the rest into smaller pieces. Very thinly slice the carrot (do not peel), shallots, and garlic.
- Combine. Layer all the peppers, carrots, shallots, and garlic into a clean 2-quart mason jar. Top with the bigger piece of pepper or cabbage leaf (or fermentation weight) to hold things down. Pour the brine into the jar over top, pressing everything down under the liquid. If you need to add more brine, remember to use the ratio of 1 ¼ teaspoons of salt per 1 cup of water.
- Weigh everything down with a fermentation weight – or see post for alternatives. Completely submerge everything under the brine because anything that touches air can mold (like seeds), so either spoon it out or push it down. Cover loosely with a lid (or cheesecloth or a coffee filter with a rubber band). The lid is loose here, so gases can escape easily, but no creatures can get in.
- Place the jar in a pan or bowl to catch any liquid that may bubble over.
- Ferment. Place in a cool, dark place; a basement is ideal (65-70F is perfect) or the bottom cupboard in the kitchen for 7-14 days or until you see signs of fermentation. On days 3-5, check for fermentation: check for a cloudy brine (see notes), a nice tangy smell, or tap the jar to see if any tiny bubbles rise to the surface; or check for any overflow in the bowl underneath -all signs of activity!
- Ferment for 7-14 days, long enough to soften the carrots you will be blending. And you can always ferment longer for even more flavor- I’ll often ferment 12 -14 days. Sometimes I’ll ferment 7 days, then place the jar in the fridge for a few weeks before blending. The longer the ferment, the tangier and more flavorful it will become, and the mellower the heat.
- *If there are no signs of fermentation, check the troubleshooting section in the post above.
- When ready to blend, strain and SAVE the brine. Place the fermented peppers, onions, garlic, and carrots in a clean blender (discard the cabbage leaf if using). Add 1 cup of the brine.
- Blend until as smooth as possible- this may take a couple of minutes. Add the vinegar if using (and honey if you prefer a sweeter hot sauce like Sriracha), and more brine to desired thickness. At this point, you can blend in optional spices and herbs. ( 1/2-1 teaspoon spices, 1-2 tablespoons fresh herbs).
- Place in hot sauce bottles with a loose lid in the fridge. It will keep fermenting, so no tight lids. The flavors will continue to develop and get more complex over time, the heat mellowing. Don’t be alarmed if it is overly spicy- the heat level will significantly mellow with time, as it continues to ferment in the fridge after 1-2 weeks.
- Do not place this in a sealed jar, unrefrigerated– this will result in an explosion– and a great big mess- as the hot sauce is still alive and fermenting! BE WARNED! I have the best luck with using in squeeze bottles and leaving the cap off in the fridge. (If transporting to a friend as a gift, it is ok to seal for short periods of time (a few hours), but make sure to tell them to refrigerate it and loosen the lid very soon after receiving.)
- To use, cover the tip of the opening with your finger and give it a shake before using. This will keep 12 months in the fridge or longer! Indefinitely. 🙂
Notes
WATER: Regular tap water may contain too much chlorine in it, inhibiting the fermentation process (although our tap water works fine). If fermentation is not happening, you may want to try filtered water.
SALT: I use fine ground sea salt or Pink Himalayan salt . If using coarse ground salt you may need to add a pinch more.
Peppers: Use any chili pepper you like or a blend of different peppers (in the same color palate). To temper, the heat, feel free to add similar colored bell pepper -substitute sweet red, yellow, or green bell pepper. Keep in mind, you will be blending the sauce, so stick with the same color scheme to make a vibrant colored sauce. For example, mixing red and green peppers will result in a brown hot sauce– but up to you. 😉 Also, keep in mind, the fermentation will mellow the heat a little. Removing the seeds will help temper the heat.
RATIO: If you need more water to cover or fill the jar, use 1 1/4 teaspoon salt per cup of warm water.
You could easily halve this recipe or use two, quart-sized jars.
CLOUDY BRINE: A cloudy brine is a natural by-product of the fermentation process-a combination of lactic acid and yeast and is the reason why they call it Lacto-fermentation. It is a sign of fermentation. Various strains of bacteria are present on the surface of all plants, especially ones growing close to the ground. Lactobacillus bacteria convert sugar into lactic acid, preserving the peppers.Lactic acid prevents the growth of harmful bacteria. Over time the cloudiness can settle out of the brine to the bottom of the jar. Some batches are naturally cloudier than others, but all are safe to consume and taste delicious. A cloudy brine is a sign that you have a safe and successful ferment.
Signs of fermentation: liquid overflowing into the bowl (check the bowl to see if the jar overflowed, a good sign! Tiny bubbles rising to the top when you tap the jar. Cloudy brine, tangy flavor or smell.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 4
- Sugar: 0.4 g
- Sodium: 112.3 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.9 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
