Liz's larder

Fermented homemade chilli sauce recipe

Makes one litre
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Homemade chilli sauce is an easy way to add a warming kick to any dish at home. It can also make a wonderful personalised gift for friends and loved ones. Include as part of a festive hamper alongside cheeses, chutneys and maybe even homemade sourdough for a delicious treat.

As you may guess, this isn’t any old chilli sauce recipe. Our version here adds a wellbeing twist as it’s perfect for supporting gut health. Fermenting your sauce is an easy way to add a dash of healthy gut bugs to any savoury dish. You’ll know that the fermentation process is well underway once the contents of your sauce begins to bubble in the jar. Enjoying a range of fermented foods is key to supporting the beneficial bacteria that live in our gut.

The great news about this sauce is that you can make it as hot as you like. Simply substitute the chillis for peppers or vice versa depending on how much kick you like.

Before starting your homemade chilli sauce recipe, you’ll need a few items of equipment to help:

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Ingredients

  • 35g sea salt
  • 1 litre of water
  • 600g medium red chillies*
  • 200g red peppers
  • 1 large bulb of garlic, peeled
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 100g sweet apple, chopped
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • *For a milder sauce, use more peppers than chillies

Method

  1. To create your brining mixture, in a large bowl dissolve the salt in 200ml hot water. Once dissolved, add in the remaining 800ml cold water and keep aside.
  2. Trim the stalks off the chillies and peppers, then halve them, de-seed and roughly chop.
  3. Add the chillies, peppers, garlic, cumin and apple chunks into your fermenting jar. Pour over the brine mixture and
    ensure all the ingredients are covered. Close the lid and store in a cool place for two weeks.
  4. After a few days the contents will start to bubble – a sign the fermentation process is underway! Every couple of days, open the jar to allow the built-up gas to escape.
  5. After two weeks, strain the fermented contents from the jar, reserving the brining liquid.
  6. Blend all the strained fermented ingredients together in a food processor until smooth, adding the apple cider vinegar and some of the reserved brine until you have your desired consistency.
  7. Transfer into the sterilised bottles and keep in the fridge for up to two months.