Homegrown Hot Chili Sauce Recipe
Have you ever made your own hot chili sauce? [Spoiler alert: it's ridiculously easy.]
As for growing your own ingredients, that's taking "local food" to a whole new level. Time to turn up the heat!
Check out our favorite hot sauce recipe below, with the perfect balance of spicy, aromatic & sweet, for topping everything from crispy fried eggs to hot chicken wings. For Hot Sauce growing tips, see our blog post here.
Pro Tip: Before you start cooking up this spicy concoction, make sure you remember not to touch your eyes when handling the cayenne peppers. If you do-- apply some olive oil on the burning area to soothe the sting. You've been warned!
Ingredients:
- 4 cayenne peppers
- 1 large carrot (or 2 small carrots)
- 2 purple bunching onions (or scallions)
- 1 1/2 cup vinegar (white or apple cider)
- salt to taste
Instructions:
- Roughly chop carrot and onion into 1-2" pieces and place into the bowl of a food processor.
- Slice** cayenne peppers open lengthwise from the stem to the tip, exposing seeds.
- Remove seeds from peppers depending on your desired heat. For a hot but enjoyable sauce, we recommend using seeds from 2 peppers, and discarding the other two. You can always add more seeds later!
- Add peppers and vinegar into the food processor and blend until smooth. You'll want this mixture to be as consistent as possible for a smoother sauce.
- Transfer raw hot sauce mixture into a saucepan, place on the stovetop on medium-low heat and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cook sauce for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to combine and the vegetables to break down.
- Remove from heat and let cool, adding a pinch of salt if desired.
- Once cool, transfer your hot sauce into a jar or empty squeeze-bottle for easy access. Store in refrigerator for up to one month (if it lasts that long!).
**Wear gloves, or work with cayenne peppers at your own risk!
How many cayenne pepper seeds do you put in your hot sauce?
Tell us in the comments below!