Fresno Chile–Carrot Hot Sauce
Make your own hot sauce with the power of lacto-fermentation.
Gather Your Ingredients
Key Equipment
Before You Begin
If you can’t find Fresno chiles, you can substitute an equal weight of red jalapeños or red cherry peppers. Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide produced by fermentation of simple sugars. It is a common food additive used to thicken liquids and stabilize emulsions, effective when added in amounts as little as 0.3 percent by weight of the liquid to be thickened. Here we use xanthan to thicken the sauce, give it shine and viscosity, and keep the mixture from separating over a long period of time so you don’t have to shake it every time you use it. You can purchase it in bulk by clicking here. The bag of brine in step 1 acts as a weight, keeping the vegetables submerged so that they ferment properly. You could just use water, but this way if the bag breaks, it’s just additional brine flowing into the container. We found that a 7-day fermentation produced our favorite hot sauce.
Instructions
1.
Whisk water and 3 tablespoons salt in clean 2-quart (or larger) container until salt is dissolved. Transfer 1 cup brine to 1-quart zipper-lock bag; squeeze out air and seal bag well. Add chiles, carrots, and garlic to remaining brine in 2-quart container and press down to submerge. Cut piece of parchment paper to match surface area of vegetables; press parchment flush against surface of vegetables. Place bag of brine on top of parchment and gently press down. Cover container tightly with 3 layers of cheesecloth. Secure cheesecloth with rubber bands and place container in 50- to 70-degree F/10- to 21-degree C location away from direct sunlight.
2.
Let vegetables ferment for 5 to 7 days; check container daily, skimming residue from surface and pressing to keep vegetables submerged. After 5 days, taste vegetables daily until they have reached desired flavor. They should be sour and savory.
3.
Discard bag of brine and parchment and skim off any residue. Transfer vegetables and brine to blender and process on high speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Strain chile mixture through fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids to extract as much puree as possible; reserve solids for other use. Rinse out blender jar. Return chile puree to blender jar; add vinegar, sugar, and 4 teaspoons salt and process on high speed until well combined, about 1 minute. With blender running, slowly sprinkle in xanthan gum to avoid clumping; process until mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer sauce to mason jars or hot sauce bottles and refrigerate until ready to use. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 months).
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