Fermented Hot Sauce

Contraband Ferments ·

FERMENTED HOT SAUCE

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds fresh chili peppers (Scotch bonnets, Jalapeños, Serranos etc.) 

  • 4–6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 

  • 2 tablespoons unrefined cane sugar, optional 

  • 2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt 

  • Vegetable starter culture dissolved in ¼ cup water, or ¼ cup fresh whey (optional)

Instructions

  1. Snip the stems from the chilies, but leave their green tops intact.

  2. Combine all ingredients into a food processor, or mince by hand, until chopped to a fine pasty texture.

  3. Spoon the chili paste into a glass mason jar and allow it to ferment (covered) at room temperature for 5–7 days.

  4. After the chili paste has bubbled and brewed for about a week, set a fine-mesh sieve over a mixing bowl and spoon the fermented chili paste into the sieve. With a wooden spoon, press the chili paste into the sides of the sieve so that the sauce drips from the sieve into the waiting mixing bowl.

  5. Once you’ve pressed and pushed the chili sauce through the sieve, pour the sauce from the bowl into jar or bottle and store in the refrigerator. The sauce will keep for several months.