Homemade Hot Sauce

One day while we were having breakfast, we read the ingredients in the Tobasco Hot Sauce that was sitting in front of us. The label listed basic ingredients, like salt, vinegar, red peppers, and oil. Then, we took a walk down memory lane remembering this awesome Peri Peri sauce we enjoyed in Goa at Mum's Kitchen. We thought what a wonderful thing if we could recreate the sauce at home. Now, if hot sauce only requires those 4 basic ingredients, it can't be that hard to make right?!? Plus, it would be so much more convenient to be able to make it at home. Off my hubby goes, researching a recipe for homemade hot sauce. He found one and had made one by that evening.

We have experimented with making hot sauce twice now. The first batch was made a bit different than the recipe listed below. That batch was made with more vinegar, and the chilies were not roasted as much. Roasting the hot peppers longer made them less spicy. Here is what you will need:

6-8 large red chilies (resemble jalapenos)
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup vinegar
5 cloves garlic
1 tsp red chili powder to taste
Salt to taste

1. Dry roast the red chilies on griddle until the skin gets charred on low heat. (This step takes a bit of time.)
2. Chop the top off of the red chilies. Roughly chop the chilies.
3. Add the chopped chilies along with the rest of the above ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. (For a thinner consistency, strain the sauce before you move on to the next step.)
4. Remove the pureed hot sauce into pot and let it simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
5. Bottle the hot sauce and store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Who knew making homemade hot sauce would be so easy. First, you have to admit the above is so much more healthier for you than buying the bottled stuff at the market. Second, it requires very little effort to make. We have garnished so many soups and sandwiches with the hot sauce, and it definitely works wonders. To think, all it took was a little enquiry and research, and we created something so great! Five Stars and all of the credit goes to my hubby!