Chiltepin Hot Sauce Recipe
- Serves
- 24 tablespoons
- Prep
- 15 mins
- Cook
- 20 mins
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This cooked hot sauce recipe blends a small weighed amount of dried Chiltepin with sweet red pepper, carrot and vinegar. It is a smooth, sharp sauce for adding by the spoonful, rather than a tomato salsa or a chile oil.
Ingredients
Plus about 10 minutes cooling before blending; total about 45 minutes. Time and yield are approximate.
- 0.3 g dried whole Chiltepin peppers, weighed on a scale accurate to 0.1 g
- 1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded (150 g prepared weight), chopped
- 1 small carrot (75 g peeled weight), thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup (50 g) chopped white onion
- 2 medium garlic cloves (about 6 g), sliced
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) distilled white vinegar labeled 5% acidity
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water, plus up to 1/4 cup (60 ml) for thinning if needed
- 1/4 teaspoon (about 1.5 g) fine sea salt
Directions
- Handle the peppers carefully. Wear gloves when handling Chiltepin. Weigh 0.3 g of whole dried peppers; do not substitute a spoonful of crushed pepper or a large handful. Keep hands away from your eyes and avoid breathing in pepper dust. Wash utensils and work surfaces after prep.
- Simmer the vegetables. Place the Chiltepin, bell pepper, carrot, onion, garlic, vinegar, 1/2 cup water and salt in a small nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce to low and partially cover. Simmer for about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the carrot is very tender. If it threatens to cook dry, add water a tablespoon at a time.
- Cool before blending. Remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender approved for warm liquids and follow its venting instructions. Start on low and gradually increase until smooth. Never blend the hot mixture in a sealed personal blender cup. An immersion blender in a tall heatproof vessel is another option; keep its blade submerged.
- Adjust the pour. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, using no more than 1/4 cup additional water, until the sauce pours from a spoon in a thin ribbon. For a smoother texture, pass through a fine-mesh strainer; expect a lower yield. Do not add more Chiltepin until the sauce has cooled and you have tasted a small amount with food.
- Cool and refrigerate. Pour into a clean, shallow heatproof container, cool promptly and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or below within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Transfer to a clean covered jar if desired. Treat as a perishable cooked sauce and use within 3 days, or freeze small portions promptly. This is not a canning, fermentation or shelf-stable recipe.
