Fermented chilli hot sauce

by | Nov 13, 2023

INGREDIENTS

Makes 1 300ml jar

  • 500ml boiling water
  • 20g Halen Môn Pure Sea Salt
  • 10 fresh red chillies (about 150g), cut into 1cm pieces, but seeds retained
  • 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 banana shallot, roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 3 fresh bay leaves
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp caster sugar

This is a killer hot sauce, if we do say so ourselves. Cooking it briefly at the end brings all the flavours together and mellows some of the acidity that’s been created by the fermentation. The hot sauce needs to ferment at room temperature for 1–2 weeks before it’s ready to consume.

METHOD

  1. Pour the boiling water into a large heatproof jug, add the salt and stir until the salt dissolves. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave the liquid to cool until warm.
  2. Pack all the remaining ingredients, except the oil and sugar, into a sterilised 1 litre jar. Pour over the brine and cover with a lid. Set the jar aside at room temperature for at least a week to ferment, or up to two weeks for a stronger flavour. The liquid in the jar may turn cloudy after a few days – this is completely normal and safe, and just means the lactic acid is working and fermentation is taking place.
  3. Drain the ingredients through a sieve suspended over a jug to keep the liquid. Blitz the chilli mixture, bay leaves and all, in a blender or food processor until just smooth, loosening with 4 tablespoons of the brine and scraping down the sides a few times to make sure the mixture is as evenly blended as possible.
  4. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over a medium-low heat, add the blitzed chilli sauce and the sugar and cook until there is almost no liquid left in the pan and the sauce has taken on a bright orange tint. Transfer to a sterilised 300ml jar, seal with a lid and store in the fridge. Enjoy within six months.
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