Ingredients
500 g fresno chiles, roughly chopped (weighed after stems removed)
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
25 g kosher salt
3 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
Pinch of granulated sugar
Preparation
Step 1In a food processor, pulse chiles and garlic until finely chopped, 15 to 20 pulses (you may have to do this in batches). Transfer chile mixture to a large, tall, food-safe container with an airtight lid. Stir in salt. Mash down on chile mixture to remove as much air as possible.Step 2Cover and store away from sunlight where the temperature will remain between 55° and 75° for 7 to 10 days. Pressure will build from the gases released from the mash in the fermentation process, so be sure to “burp”, or open, the container once a day.Step 3After 7 days, taste the mash. If it’s spicy and pleasantly sour (think kimchi), transfer mash to a blender (if it’s not, close and continue to ferment, tasting once per day). Add vinegar and sugar and blend until smooth. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, pushing on solids with a spatula to extract all the liquid.Step 4Transfer sauce to a bottle and refrigerate up to 1 month.
All you need is a food processor, a blender, some chiles, and salt. When you add salt in the correct amounts to food, it will prevent spoilage that can make you sick and allow the chiles to ferment (which is basically a controlled, purposeful spoiling process). One quick note on measurements. We give everything in this recipe by weight. This is very important, because the amount of salt added needs to be in the right proportion in order to prevent any bad bacteria from growing. You can do this with a kitchen scale that can be picked up in most grocery or big box stores. We used fresno chiles because we love the amount of fruity heat it provides (without being too intense) and the vibrant orange-y red color of the sauce it makes. But you can use any chiles you want! We recommend not getting too carried away on the spice level. No Carolina reapers or Trinidad scorpions here. But if you want to toss in a few habaneros or scotch bonnets, they can add another dimension of spice and flavor we love. Fresnos are essentially slightly spicier, red jalapeños, so if you’re interested in a green sauce, you can use those as well. To keep things food-safe, ensure you’re using precise measurements and you “burp”, or let the gas release, from the fermentation container, so you can enjoy the sauce safely. Let us know what chiles you used in the comments below!
