Seasoned with fresh garlic this fermented hot chili sauce is rich with flavor, bright and fiery. Use it in strict moderation to add flavor and heat to your meals. You’ll notice that the flavor of this sauce is more uniquely complex than vinegary sauces you can purchase at the grocery store.

Yield: about a quart

Prep: 20 (active time) mins, 5-7 days fermentation time

3 pounds fresh chili peppers (Scotch bonnets, Jalapenos, Serranos etc.)

4 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 T unrefined cane sugar, optional

2 tsp unrefined sea salt

vegetable starter culture dissolved in 1/4 cup water, or 1/4 cup fresh whey

INSTRUCTIONS

Snip the stems from the chilies, but leave their green tops intact. Combine all all ingredients in a food processor, or mince by hand, until chopped to a fine pasty texture. Spoon the chili paste into a glass mason jar and allow it to ferment, covered, at room temperature for five to seven days.

After the chili paste has bubbled and brewed for about a week, set a fine-mesh sieve over a mixing bowl and spoon the fermented chili paste into the sieve. With a wooden spoon, press the chili paste into the sides of the sieve so that the sauce drips from the sieve into the waiting mixing bowl.

Once you’ve pressed and pushed the chili sauce through the sieve, pour the sauce from the bowl into jar or bottle and store in the refrigerator. The sauce will keep for several months.