This is the sauce to make when the pepper plants all ripen at once: fruity Aji Amarillo for colour, cayenne for clean heat and a few Thai peppers for lift.
Ingredients
- 450 g ripe mixed hot peppers, stems removed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 percent salt by total pepper weight
- Optional: 1 small carrot or a few pieces of ripe fruit for sweetness
- Vinegar or lime juice to finish after fermentation
Method
- Chop the peppers and garlic, then weigh them. Add 2 percent salt by weight and massage until glossy.
- Pack into a clean jar, keeping the pepper mash below its brine. Use a fermentation weight if you have one.
- Ferment at room temperature for 5 to 10 days, burping as needed, until pleasantly tangy.
- Blend smooth with a splash of vinegar or lime juice. Thin with a little brine if needed.
- Bottle and refrigerate. Let the flavour settle overnight before judging the final heat.
Grow it
Start with Aji Amarillo pepper seeds, Golden Cayenne and Red Thai pepper seeds, or use the Hot Sauce Garden Pack.
Home hot sauce note: keep fresh or fermented small-batch sauces refrigerated unless you are using a tested canning recipe and verifying acidity.