Homemade Sriracha Sauce

Over the years we have become addicted to this brilliant red sauce based on a Thai condiment.

Sriracha is made from sun ripened chilies which are ground into a smooth paste along with garlic and packaged in a convenient squeeze bottle. It is excellent in soups, sauces, pastas, pizzas, hot dogs, hamburgers, chow mein or on anything else to give it a delicious, spicy taste.

It became popular here in NA when a Vietnamese immigrant recreated a favourite from back home and started selling it in the LA area. His version became so popular that many think David Tran's sauce IS Sriracha sauce.

For some reason I decided to try making it at home this year. It became a task for Paolo . . . one he attacked with gusto.

We used this recipe which we found posted on Serious Eats:

Homemade Sriracha Sauce

1 1/2 lbs red jalalpeños, stems snipped off, leaving green tops intact
6 cloves garlic, peeled
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

Place jalalpeños, garlic, sugar, and salt in bowl of a food processor fitting with steel blade. Pulse until chilies are very finely chopped, stopping to scrap sides of bowl as necessary. Transfer mixture to a clean jar, cover, and let sit at room temperature.

Check jar each day for fermentation, when little bubbles start forming at bottom of jar, about 3-5 days. Stir contents each day, continuing to let ferment until chilies are no longer rising in volume, an additional 2-3 days.

Transfer chilies to jar of a blender, add in white vinegar, and puree until completely smooth, 1-3 minutes. Transfer to a mesh strainer set atop of a medium saucepan. Strain mixture into saucepan, using a rubber spatula to push trough as much pulp as possible, only seeded and larger pieces of chilies should remain in strainer.

Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sauce thickens and clings to a spoon, 5 or 10 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Here is the process documented in pictures:

Comments

[Kayte]

Love the process photos! And the chef looks very experienced and capable in that kitchen. I have yet to buy a bottle of this, let alone make any. Generally I am not a spicy hot sauce type of gal but there are occasions when I think I should be adding some zip to my life in the food department. Let me buy a bottle with the thoughts of maybe someday making my own...you photos make it look easy.

[Katie]

Very pretty - the hubs would love it. Me, not so much.... I'm a wimp!

[JDeQ]

It's funny how this sort of thing grabs you - I guess it is time that we embrace the 'make your own' rather than buy bottles and boxes of stuff made in some factory somewhere.