Fermented Garlic Chilli Sauce
Fermenting is one of my favourite things to do in the kitchen. Back home in Geneva, I had loads of things going on at once, jars bubbling away everywhere- the kitchen was nicknamed “Chloe’s Lab.”
I wanted to first share this recipe, as it’s tasty and a great start for anyone that hasn’t ever tried to ferment before. This sauce is lacto-fermented (nothing to do with milk or dairy) it means that the natural bacteria; Lactobaccilius (found on plants also in humans, animals…) turns sugars into lactic acid. This process is how fermentation happens and in the end the lactic acid acts as a natural preservative, inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria.
This chilli sauce is simple to make, and is super versatile. You can make it as spicy as you want, or as mild by choosing the types of chillies you use. I wouldn’t recommend sticking with only 1 type of chilli as the flavour will be very 1 dimensional- also, no matter how much you like spice, 95g of scotch bonnet or some really spicy chilli will result in a sauce that is just too spicy..
makes: ~ 1.5 cups
prep time: 5-10 minutes
fermentation time: 2-3 weeks
Ingredients
2 cleaned and sterilised jars
457ml filtered water
7g sea salt
95g red chilli mix (mild&hot), chopped into chunks
103g red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
30g red onion or shallot, chopped into chunks
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Finishing off:
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup (50g) olive oil
Method:
1. In a bowl, add the water and 7g salt. Mix until the salt has fully dissolved.
2. Add your chopped red chilli mix, red bell pepper, onion or shallot and garlic cloves into your jar.
3. Ladle in the salt water mixture into the jar until everything is fully submerged (you will have extra brine, dispose of it or use it to ferment something else.) Close the jar and leave to ferment for a minimum of 2 weeks. Every few days, burp the jar- this essentially means open the jar to let out all the extra gas and close it back up. Depending on how active your ferment is, you might need to do this everyday. You will see bubbles forming and popping, as well as the brine (salt water) turn cloudy.
4. After 2 weeks, strain the mixture. Make sure to keep the brine as it can be used to thin out the sauce or you can use it to ferment other veggies or to marinate chicken or other proteins. Add the fermented chilli mixture into a blender or food processor and pulse until your desired consistency. Add the 3/4 tsp sea salt and drizzle in the 1/4 cup olive oil whilst pulsing the mixture- this is to emulsify the sauce. If you can’t drizzle in the oil, add 1 tbsp of oil at a time and pulse until the mixture emulsifies. If the end result is too thick for your liking, add 1 tsp of brine at a time mixing it into the sauce until your desired consistency.
5. Pour the finished sauce into a clean sterilised jar, close tightly with a lid and place it in the fridge. Since this sauce is ‘alive’ it will continue to ferment even in the fridge. If you’re not using it regularly, you’ll have to continue burping it every few weeks.