Small Bowl of Chili Sauce
(click to enlarge)

Chili Sauce   -   DIY


California & Everywhere
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 16 oz
**
30 min
Yes		 This is a general recipe for making your own Chili Sauces. Hotness and Flavor will vary in the extreme, depending on the chilis you choose to use.

1
3/4 to 1
3/4 to 1
4
#
c
T
oz
Chilis, Fresh (1)  
Vinegar (2)
Salt
Red Onion (3)
Make   -   (30 min)
  1. Slice stems from CHILIS.
  2. If Used Chop ONION small, or crush 4 cl GARLIC and mix with Chilis.
  3. Put All Items in a Food Processor or Mixie and run until as smooth as it will go - probably smoother with the Mixie.
  4. In a sauce pan bring Chili Sauce to a boil and simmer slowly about 15 minutes to blend.
  5. Stir it up well and bottle as desired. It should be kept mostly refrigerated as it does not contain the preservatives found in commercial sauces. See also See also Straining and Fermenting.
NOTES:

  1. Chilis, Fresh:

      What Chilis you use is completely up to you. The photo example was made with 2/3 yellow Aji Limo and 1/3 red Aji Juanita, both are C. baccatum from South America. That's what grows best on my Southern California property. These made a sauce a little less hot than the ubiquitous Tapatío sauce, but the flavor was far different, delicious, actually. For details see our Chilis page.

  2. Vinegar

      Most people use plain distilled 5% vinegar, but I usually use a 5% wine vinegar. Use any 5% vinegar of your choice.

  3. Onion or Garlic:

      Garlic is most used (about 4 cloves per pound of Chilis, but Red Onion also works quite well with a somewhat different flavor, and what I used for the example. Either is optional and can be omitted if desired.

  4. Straining:

      An option is to press the mash through a very fine strainer (available in Asian markets) for a more liquid sauce, You'll get about 1/3 the volume after straining. The solids can be dried and ground to make a condiment or seasoning.

  5. Fermenting:

      Many sauces, like Tabasco, are fermented for various lengths of time (up to 3 years for Tabasco). This process is not difficult, but adds some complexity and a couple weeks or more fermenting time. When I have more experience with fermenting Chilis, I'll write it up and put a link here.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch
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