How to Make Sriracha Sauce

The peppers at our Farmers’ Market are bountiful and beautiful this time of year. It’s fun to make your own sriracha sauce using the peppers of your choice. I have used Tobago peppers, long red cayenne, red jalapeños, and a mixture of multiple kinds of peppers. Although fermented, the sriracha is cooked to stop the fermentation and preserve it so it does not contain active probiotics. It seems to keep indefinitely in the refrigerator.

Be careful not to breathe the fumes when you are blending the mixture and washing the blender jar. Always open the blender lid away from you. Thoroughly wash the blender jar after pureeing hot peppers and pour the suds away from you into the sink.

Makes 1 pint

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound red Jalapeño or other red peppers, stems snipped off with green caps intact
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 – 1 Cup bottled or filtered water
• Fish sauce (optional)

Directions:

• Puree peppers, garlic, honey & sea salt in a blender while adding enough water to make a medium thick pourable puree (like a smoothie)
• Pour into a clean pint or quart jar
• Scrape down the top and inside of the jar so that they are clean
• Cover with cling wrap and secure with a rubber band
• Let ferment  5 days in a warm place not in sunlight
• Stir daily
• Mixture will bubble as it ferments

After 5 days:

• Pour fermented mixture into a blender
• Puree until smooth
• Strain the puree into a saucepan, mashing it through with with a spatula or spoon
• Add ⅓ cup white vinegar
• Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until it lightly coats a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes
• Add fish sauce to taste if desired
• After the sauce is cool, pour it into an airtight container and refrigerate
• Keeps 1 month or longer