Welcome to the world of fermented food lovers! I'm glad that you stopped by.
Fermentation adds depth and complexity to the food and health benefits by supplying your microbiome with millions of good bacteria.
This fermented hot sauce transforms simple ingredients into a rich and tangy condiment. It is welcome addition on a table of spicy food lovers.... Who I am. Sweetness from carrots and not overly powering garlicy flavor will satisfy any hot sauce snob.
Have you subscribed to my cooking channel? Go and click here to be the first to see my new videos and THANK YOU so much for subscribing. It means a lot to me!
In this blog, I will explore the basics of fermentation, you can find more fermented delicious recipes, and offer tips for creating your own signature hot sauce in your own kitchen.
Why should I make Hot Sauce?
First of all, making anything yourself gives you more satisfaction, plus more health benefits since homemade always has cleaner ingredients and is better for you overall.
Fermentation is an ancient method of food preservation that not only extends the shelf life of ingredients but also enhances their flavor. Lacto-fermented hot sauces are known for their probiotic benefits, which promote gut health. The process is simple and requires minimal hands - on time and equipment, making it accessible for the home cook enthusiast.
How to choose peppers for fermented hot sauce?
Choosing the right peppers for fermented hot sauce is crucial to achieving the desired flavor, heat level, and overall profile of your sauce. Different peppers have distinct flavors that can significantly impact your hot sauce.
Choose peppers that are fresh and readily available in your area. Fresh peppers will ferment better and result in a higher quality hot sauce. If possible, source peppers from local farmers' markets or grow them yourself. I got from a local farm called Dempsey farm that is located on Saint Helena Island, South Carolina.
In my opinion I like heat not a lot and FLAVOR, for which this task I like to use a not too hot variety such as jalapeños, and red ones (ripe) give your hot sauce a beautiful color.
But you can use any kind you like or mix and match a few varieties. I also like to add carrots to enrich sweetness and garlic for a punch of flavor. Remember, cooking is chemistry and you are the scientist of your fermentation process.
Heat Level of peppers
Peppers vary widely in heat, measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Choose peppers based on your desired heat level:
Mild: Banana peppers (0-500 SHU), and poblano peppers (1,000-2,000 SHU).
Medium: Jalapeño (2,500-8,000 SHU), serrano (10,000-23,000 SHU), and cayenne (30,000-50,000 SHU).
Hot: Habanero (100,000-350,000 SHU), Scotch bonnet (100,000-350,000 SHU), and Thai chili (50,000-100,000 SHU).
Very Hot: Ghost pepper (855,000-1,041,427 SHU), Trinidad Scorpion (1,200,000-2,000,000 SHU), and Carolina Reaper (1,400,000-2,200,000 SHU).
Combining Peppers
As I mentioned earlier, mixing different types of peppers can create a more complex and balanced flavor profile. For example:
Mild and Sweet: Combine bell peppers with jalapeños.
Fruity and Hot: Mix habaneros with sweet bell peppers.
Smoky and Medium Heat: Blend chipotle peppers with serranoes.
Tips
Safety First: Wear kitchen gloves when handling any kind of hot peppers to avoid irritation.
Balance Flavors: Remember to balance heat with other flavors like sweet (carrots, sweet peppers), sour (adding vinegar or lemon juice), garlic and perfect amount of salt.
Taste Regularly: Taste your sauce during fermentation to monitor flavor development. Keep an eye on it, 3-5 days is enough, as soon you will notice the bubbles, the signs of actively working good bacteria so there is no need to keep it for much longer. Process it in a blender, and bottle it. Enjoy!
What do I need to make fermented hot sauce?
First of all patience, will take a few days. And a few ingredients.
Peppers - I love red (ripe) jalapeños not too hot and they have a nice flavor beside heat.
Carrots - gives a little bit sweetness plus just like in my sauerkraut, gives a bit of food for healthy bacteria to grow.
Garlic - not a lot, but garlic is big factor of flavor plus more support for good bacteria to grow. Garlic is sweet even for its punch. Most people don't consider garlic as a high sugar vegetable. But it is and it's great news for culturing.
Salt - very important ingredient: it gives a life for good bacteria but keeps away the growth of unwanted ones. Right ratio is the key to success of fermentation. Use Celtic or pink salt.
Seasoning - after vegetables ferment, I like to add some flavor... a bit of apple cider vinegar and raw cane sugar in an equal proportion.
Let's make it... THIS RECIPE IS FOR A LARGE BATCH! I did in two repetitions, my blender cup couldn't hold the whole amount at once.
But before we jump into the recipe, let's talk for a minute about the last but not list ingredient... Xanthan Gum. This ingredient is totally optional and for most of the time I do not add to my hot sauce or really any homemade sauces, salad dressings, ice creams, etc.
What it is Xanthan Gum?
Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide, a type of carbohydrate, used as a food additive. It is produced through the fermentation of glucose or sucrose by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. If you read my blogs regularly you know how much I like additives. Yes, generally speaking when I see any of these ingredients on a list I run away from it.
Gellan Gum
Guar Gum
Xanthan Gum
Locust Bean Gum
Carob Bean Gum
Cellulose Gum
Tara Gum
Konjac Gum
The food is full in additives such as preservatives in these days, and consuming every day is bad news for your gut. We are eating everything homemade and adding extremely small amount to the hot sauce just to make look like a store-bought consistency, so I can give to people as a gift is my little cheating and breaking rules but over all its not that big deal because of very small amount and doesn't rich of consistency that can be dangerous to your gut plus the great amount of a good bacteria in the sauce should compensate for it.
How long Fermented Hot Sauce can last?
Generally speaking homemade hot sauce can typically be kept in the fridge for about 3 to 6 months. But fermented hot sauce can last for up to 9 months or a year. Just like any cultured food that is naturally preserved to understand more about fermentation, read here. All ferment can work as preservative to prolong your food that you add into. For instance, if you add this hot sauce into the homemade hummus your hummus will last in a fridge longer (instead of three days to up to 2 weeks).
ENJOY WITHING 9 MONTHS! Keeping the sauce in an airtight container in a fridge can help maintain its freshness.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Waiting time (hands off): 3 days
Making time (hands on): 30 minutes
Total time: 3 days
Author: Inna of innichkachef.com
Total: 12 (8 ounces) Mason jars
Ingredients to ferment hot sauce
4 pounds red (ripe) jalapeños (after cleaning you should have 3 pounds)
1 large carrot
1 bulb of garlic (about 10 cloves)
3 heaping tablespoons pink salt
4 cups room temperature water (no-chlorine water)
Ingredients for the seasoning hot sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup raw cane sugar
1/2 teaspoons Xanthan gum (optional)
1-2 teaspoons pink salt (optional)
Directions
Wash peppers. Peel carrot and garlic.
Clean peppers off from ribs and seeds (ribs is the hottest spot on a pepper and seeds because they attached into the rib). Clean all out without worrying to have left a few seeds here and there, it's ok. WEARING KITCHEN GLOVES IS MUST.
Use a food processor and add peppers, bruise them a bit no need process it into not-pure consistency, chunks are great. Pulse few times, that's it. Repeat with all peppers.
Pour into big bowl or Large jar with a wide mouth.
Chop carrots and garlic into small chunks then add to the peppers.
To the 4 cups water add 3 heaping tablespoons salt and stir until salt completely dissolves.
Pour water solution into a bowl with vegetables, make sure they all simmer, if not add water into small zip lock bag and place on top to keep veggies down.
Cover the bowl with a lid and leave on a kitchen counter for 3 days.
Then add to a blender (I divided into two portions; my blender cup couldn't hold the whole amount). Process into smooth apple sauce consistency. Then add half of apple cider vinegar, half raw cane sugar, and Xanthan gum (if you decided to use it). Blend all together one more time and you are done.
Pour into sterilized bottles or little Mason jars, etc. ENJOY WITHING 9 MONTHS! Keep the hot sauce in a fridge! Did you love the recipe? Please leave a comment and give me some stars below! Also subscribe to my YouTube channel and never miss a recipe!
Comments