9/4/10

Homemade Sriracha Sauce and Chile Paste

Homemade Sriracha Sauce
This stuff is great, easy to make, and it beats the heck out of the kind you buy in the store.

I've certainly used my fair share of the Huy Fong brand and linked to it in previous postings, but who needs that when you can easily make it yourself!

This version is fresh, healthy, and preservative-free. It's just all-natural spicy goodness.

So first things first, the creator of this recipe is Edamame and her blog is entitled The Year of Eating Consciously. She did a fantastic job of re-creating a completely healthy and flavorful version. Amazing, easy to follow and do yourself. In fact, I even got 2 condiments (Sriracha Sauce and Chile Paste) from this one recipe as I'll describe below. Obviously, there are infinite possibilities when mixing either of these 2 condiments with other things like mayonnaise (spicy mayo), creme fraiche (spicy cream), etc!


Note: I made some modifications to Edamame's recipe based on available ingredients and personal preference. 1) I love garlic so I added more garlic. 2) She doesn't like to add too much salt but I like the flavor it gives so I added more. 3) I couldn't get palm sugar so I used a substitute. Feel free to follow her recipe exactly or suit to your taste.


red fresno chiles, kosher salt, and garlic

Prep: You will need to allow time for the peppers to sit in the brine overnight. Once done it takes minutes to finish the sauce.

marinating in their vinegar bath

Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce and about 1/4 cup paste

Ingredients:
1/2 pound red fresno chiles (you could also use red jalapenos)
6-8 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 Tablespoon kosher salt (or sea salt)
1 cup distilled white vinegar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon molasses

You may wish to wear rubber gloves when chopping peppers to avoid burning from the hot peppers, however I did not. I was careful to avoid touching the seeds and didn't have any issues. Chop stems off of peppers and discard the stems. Cut peppers into thirds or small chunks and place in a glass bowl or jar.

Add garlic, salt, and vinegar, then cover and let sit overnight.

peppers, garlic, salt, and vinegar

Carefully pour contents of jar or bowl into a saucepan over high heat and mix in brown sugar and molasses. Bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature.

Transfer mixture to a food processor or blender and blend for 5 minutes. Your end result will be a smooth, orangey-red sauce.

Place a strainer over a bowl and pour the mixture through. You will need to use a spoon or spatula to push through until all the liquid is through.

strain into a bowl
finished straining, notice what's in the strainer..
looks like chile paste!
beautiful fresh Sriracha Sauce!
pour into a bottle or jar with a lid, store in refrigerator

Pour the sauce from the bowl into a bottle or a jar with a lid and store in your refrigerator. It will keep at least a month (if it lasts that long!). Sauce will mellow in a day or two of sitting in the fridge, but I used mine immediately.

Chile Paste

The part you strained out can be used as a chile paste (similar to the kind you see on the tables at Thai restaurants). I simply put it in a jar and added some extra-virgin olive oil to keep it from drying out and placed in the refrigerator, covered. You can cook with it or just spoon it over any dish you want to add a little spice. I tried it and it is delicious!

2/16/11 Update:  I enjoyed my original batch of Sriracha Sauce for about 5 months and every last drop was delicious. Remember to keep it stored in a sealed bottle in your refrigerator.

8/20/12 Update:  I still love this recipe! Just made a fresh batch (Sriracha sauce and chile paste) and it's as amazing as ever. Pretty fool proof, too. I left the peppers/garlic mixture brining for a few days instead of overnight (because I didn't have time), and then I accidentally added way more molasses than my original recipe - and it still came out great!

18 comments:

  1. my girls love this sauce, thanks so much for the recipe I'm sure your version is so much better than the store bought one!

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  2. Hi Chef Dennis - I love it! To me the flavors are much more balanced and it's very fresh tasting. Plus it's certainly a healthier version than the bottled kind. You'll have to let me know what you think!

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  3. Your photos are stunning! Thanks for the post, my husband will love this!

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  4. Great post. I'm going to try this. I've been playing with olive oil mixtures and now you have inspired me with this sauce.

    Plan B

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  5. Wow, I always buy chili garlic sauce and sriracha made by the company with a rooster on the bottle (smile). I never even thought to make my own-very neat!

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  6. Hi Chef Bee - Thanks so much! It was so easy to make and delicious!

    Hi Stella - Me, too! But I don't think I can go back to the store-bought version anymore :-)

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  7. OK..this sounds amazing and EEEEZY...fresh and HOT! just met you today at SLT and i love your stuff. can't wait to look further.

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  8. Jules!! I just left you a post, too, your photos and food are amazing!! And I found the palm sugar at 99 Ranch Market ;-) Thanks for the tip!

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  9. Wow, thanks for this. Such condiments are difficult (sometimes impossible) and definitely expensive to purchase here in Spain.

    Will be making this ASAP.

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  10. I never thought of making it from scratch. Looks and sounds great! Thanks for the recipe.

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  11. I bet homemade, as always, is even better than the beloved store-bought version. I'm guessing this will keep for weeks in the fridge, then?

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  12. Debs - I had no idea it was expensive and hard to find there. It's really easy to make and with just a few simple ingredients. And I like the taste way better!

    Xiaolu - It's fantastic and you're welcome!

    Carolyn - To me the homemade is WAY better. The flavors are more well-balanced instead of that hit of heat you get from the store-bought. Plus healthier for you, too! It has kept in my fridge for almost a month and still delicious. Working on another batch right now as a gift for friends. Using a slightly different pepper just to experiment - this time a small, round, red hot pepper I got at Whole Foods. Will see how it turns out!

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  13. Your photos from Foodgawker had me screeching to a halt for the beauty of those red peppers :) I love sriracha...great post!

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  14. Thank you so much for this recipe, it turned out fabulous! I used Thai red chilies and it turned out HOT!!! My DH, who doesn't care for hot sauce, loved it. This is a definite keeper. Thanks again!

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  15. Fantastic!! I love this recipe and I use this Sriracha and chile paste ALL THE TIME!! I'm so glad you and your husband loved it, too. And I love your substitution of peppers.

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  16. This is just great. I'm a stickler for foods made with preservatives. Thank you, fresh Sriracha sauce... Yes....

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