Fermented Sriracha From Scratch

 

Almost a decade ago I was very into the “health fads.” You know, brewing kombucha, growing wheat grass then juicing it and taking shots, growing a garden and making other homemade concoctions. During that portion of my life, I made fermented sriracha from scratch, twice. I got jalapenos and habaneros from the local farmers market and did the thing. I will say that the variation I made with habaneros was too hot and luckily I had a friend who enjoyed extremely hot foods and gladly took it from me. The version with just jalapenos hit just right for me. Years later, I decided to go for it again and here we are today. Recently I was looking to make sriracha and was having a difficult time finding red jalapenos. I will say, even though we are in Florida,  it was not in the middle of the summer, so I was looking in different grocery stores and none were to be found. I finally was able to find them at both an Asian grocery store and a Latin grocery store.

 

If you wait for the correct time of year, you should be able to find them at the farmers market, but if you know about peppers, they all generally start green and then will change color with time. The main difference is the flavor and sweetness when it comes to color. It may change the heat profile for hotter peppers, but I am not certain on that. With all of that being said, there are several ways you can locate the fat for this recipe. This recipe is not that difficult and there are several different directions you can take with it. I will give you the low down below. I am going to work on making it again, in a different way. I think this one is a little too fermented for me. I may have lost my “health” touch from years ago. Take your time making this and ensure you read through everything before you start. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs Red Jalapenos

• 6 Garlic Cloves

• 4 Tbl Sugar

• 1 Tbl Kosher Salt

• ½ Cup White Vinegar (save for later)

 

**Disclaimer: Recipes for cooking do not have to be exact in quantity or ingredient. If you have a different oil, type of salt, or any other ingredient, please use what you have. Enjoy!

 

Instructions:

 

Step 1: Remove the stems and roughly chop the jalapenos (for less spicy, remove some of the seeds). Then take the jalapenos, garlic, sugar, and salt and put them in a food processor. Pulse until everything is finely chopped. Scrape the sides as needed to make sure everything looks consistently chopped.

 

Step 2: Transfer mix into a clean mason jar that can be sealed. I probably did this kind of incorrectly as I used a sprouting lid in an attempt to do it similar to kombucha. You want to reduce the amount of oxygen that gets to the mixture, so use a jar that correctly fits the amount you made without a huge gap in the jar.

 

Step 3: Store in a dark, cool location for 3-5 days. Open and then reseal jars daily to reduce carbonation build up, watching for fermentation bubbles to start forming. The mixture might start floating, it is best to help keep it down to prevent whitening from forming on the top. Smell the mixture to ensure the white is simply drying out and not mold. If it is moldy, it needs to be thrown away and you should start over.

** You will see in the photos that mine was in too large of a jar and became dry. Luckily it was not moldy.

 

Step 4: When it is done, transfer the mixture to a blender and add the vinegar. Then blend until smooth (as best as possible). At this point you have multiple options. You can leave it as is and it'll be a little chunky, you can strain it and it will be smoother, or you can strain and then reduce it in a saucepan for 5-10 minutes, although it can kill some of the beneficial bacteria. All up to you.

** I did not strain or boil it, but I might in the future.

 

Step 6: It can be stored in clean jars for up to six months in a refrigerator.  Enjoy!