For those of you who’ve been following my updates on FierceSauces.com will know that I have a growing collection of hot sauces (peppa sauce as we say in Trinidad and Tobago) and I use this affair I have with spicy sauces to write short reviews. Though I purchase new ones every time I come across varieties I don’t already have, I can honestly say that nothing beats a “fresh” made sauce.
Here’s a simple recipe for a very quick hot sauce that packs a wicked punch. It’s sure to add some zing to whatever meal or snack you introduce it to. For me it was a case of having some jerk pork tenderloin I just took off the grill and I craved a fresh peppa sauce to top the thinly sliced pieces of pork to enjoy while I watched play-off football this weekend.
*This makes about 1 1/2 cups of hot sauce.
You’ll Need…
1 teaspoon salt
4-6 cloves garlic
20 habanero or scotch bonnet peppers (use any hot pepper you like and can tolerate)
3/4 cup vinegar
1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
4 mild peppers (banana, Cubanelle, Hungarian Yellow, Biscayne Sweet.. etc)
Before we get to the actual process, I must mention that the peppers I used were all frozen. Every spring I plant an assortment of hot peppers, including my favourite… the habanero. When I reap them in the fall, I place them in freezer-lock bags and keep them secure in the freezer. I then have enough peppers to last me until next harvest. So if you ever have an abundance of peppers, do remember that you can freeze them. During the winter months the very same peppers sell for between $7 and $11 a pound in the local super markets so I can’t afford them. Luckily I have my supply in our freezer.
Wash and remove the stems from the peppers and chop roughly (wear gloves if you’re using scotch bonnet or habanero). Then do the same with the garlic and cilantro so it’s easy to work with in the food processor.
Add everything to a blender or food processor and process for a couple minutes. Try to get a smooth consistency but try not to overwork it, since we don’t want to add too much air and risk it getting foamy.
Taste for salt (if you’re getting a sort of raw taste with no flavour except the heat of the pepper, add a little more salt)
*Fresh squeezed lime or lemons also add another lovely level of flavour to this sauce.
Place in a jar and use as needed. Normally since we used vinegar as the liquid in the sauce, you should not have to refrigerate it. However it may be a good idea to place it in fridge just as a precaution. Please note though that the sauce will loose a bit of it’s heat the longer it stays in the fridge.
Do you have a quick hot sauce recipe you’d like to share? leave me a comment in the comment box below.
Happy cooking!
Chris…
Insanely Hot Sauce
1 large ripe mango – peeled / diced
10-14 habanero peppers – diced
1 onion – diced
2 cloves of garlic – crushed
2 banana peppers – diced
1 red bell pepper – diced
3 tablespoon cilantro – chopped
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon salt
2 limes – juice
1 tablespoon crushed ginger
Cut, dice, squeeze and crush as necessary.
Place all the ingredients into a pan, bring to a boil then cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
Allow to cool, then add to a food processor or blender and puree.
Robert, I thought I’d try your recipe, so made it yesterday, and … I love it!
Since I can’t buy hot peppers up here in North Vancouver Island, I usually buy at least 2 lbs when shopping south. The habanero peppers I can get don’t keep too well, so I use a dessicator to
dry them, and those are what I used in your recipe, which is the only thing I changed.
Dynamite good, and I have enough to keep me happy for almost a month, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. Dry habaneros don’t seem to lose their heat, but keep indefinitely in ziplock bags.
Great Pepper sauce. I make by substituting the vinegar with freshly sqeezed lime juice, a very small amount of finely chopped lime,and a dash of brown sugar.
Can of piccalilly, 3 garlic, 2 madame jeanettes, 1 spoon sugar, 0.5 sliced onion, a bit sweet soya sauce (ketjap A). Blend it and enjoy your Surinam mustard sambal! Keep it up and rainy greets from the Netherlands. JC
When I do mine I add half ripe mango to the blender. Gives it a great flavour. Like Chris I have to freeze my mango so that I have a supply until the next mango season.
Similar to what I use,
10 red scotch bonnets, 15 red thai chiles, 6-8 cherry peppers, 6 cloves garlic, fresh ground nutmeg, tsp of cumin, black pepper, tsp sugar, cut up bell tomato, 1/4 olive oil, fresh sprig of thyme and rosemary, 1/5 cup vinegar, 2 green onions, small shallot, bit of white and red onions. Throw in the blender and done.
Will
I also add a little mustard to it . Give it such pretty colour.
that peppersauce looks wicked- what i put in mine which i have in the garden is shadowbeni and i also add a young green paw-paw but i dip it in hot water for a few minutes before i add it
at what speed do you blend your pepper sauce?when i full my bottle with pepper sauce and cover it after some time i notice the quantity drops, when do i cover the bottle after filling it?
What do you do if made too much blending at high speed and there is that foam you said we should try to avoid? Other than that, this hot sauce rocks my socks – not to mention my taste buds.
Great simple peppa sauce recipe. The only thing that I do differently is I add one tablespoon of the green seasoning to the sauce.
Papachunks.. I’ll have to try your method the next time I get some fresh peppers.
happy cooking
chris…
Must make it, looks delicious and painful 😉
.-= Margot´s last blog ..Lunchbox # 54 – Lychee Fruits, Chestnuts & Turkey Ham Sandwich =-.