Fermented Chilli Turmeric Hot Sauce
Making your own chilli sauce is super easy and a great way to use and preserve your chillies. It makes a great gift and a wonderful condiment to add a kick to any dish. We used Thai chillies, habaneros, and green chillies, and added we’ve added turmeric for its anti-inflammatory and immunity boosting properties and ginger. We’re not great with very spicy dishes, so we roasted some carrots and blended them through to reduce the spiciness by adding sweetness and starch. You don’t have to do this, but it’s a handy way to reduce the heat if you’re like us!
Takes 7 days 30 minutes
Serves 12
Ingredients
Fermented Chillies
- 500 g fresh assorted chillies (3 cups approx)
- 4 cloves garlic
- small thumb size ginger
- small thumb sized turmeric
- water
Hot Sauce
- 320 ml chilli brine (1 1/3 cup approx)
- 7 tbsp maple syrup
- 7 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 75 g roasted carrot (1/2 cup approx)
- 1 tbsp tamari
Instructions
- Cut the green parts off the chillies and slice them open, leaving the seeds in place. Peel the garlic cloves.
- Weigh the combined weight of the chillies, garlic, turmeric and ginger. Multiply by 2% (.02) to calculate the salt required for fermentation (e.g., if the combined weight is 560 g, multiply by 2%, giving you 11.2 g of salt).
- Add the chillies, garlic, ginger, turmeric and salt to a clean jar. Submerge with water and weigh down with a clean lid to keep everything below the surface. Label the jar and leave it to ferment for 7–10 days in a warm environment, away from direct sunlight.
- Burp the chillies every day by opening the lid to release any natural carbonation, then reseal. The water will become cloudy, and bubbles will form as fermentation progresses.
- If using carrot to reduce the heat, finely slice and roast it at 200°C for 45 minutes, until soft and with a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Once fermentation is complete, drain the chillies, garlic, and ginger. Keep the brine.
- Blend the chillies, garlic, ginger, turmeric roasted carrot, vinegar, syrup, tamari, salt, and pepper until super smooth. Pass through a sieve for a finer texture.
- Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking by adding more vinegar, syrup, or salt.
- Using a funnel, pour the sauce into bottles. This will last for many months in the fridge and makes a great gift.
- Enjoy!
