This is the recipe for the NorthIQ Hot Buzz Fermented Pepper Sauce, which we are calling Hot Buzz Fermented Pepper Sauce V1.
When I started thinking about what I wanted in a hot pepper sauce, I knew that it was more than just heat. I wanted well rounded, flavourful sauce that would go well on a variety of dishes, but it would be the main event of the Hot Buzz final round.
Here’s what we did to make this version.
In a large vessel, wash, stem and de-seed the following:
- 3 Hot Yellow Pepper
- 226g Jalapeño Pepper
- 50g Habanero Pepper
- 50g Ghost Pepper
- 1 Sweet Red Pepper
- 12 mini red onions
- 2 garlic bulbs
- 6 Tbsp salt
- 6 Tbsp sugar
- 5 cardomen pods
- 10 dried chillies
Fill vessel with 10 cups of water, and ensure that peppers are fully submerged (we had to add a cabbage leaf and a fermenting weight to keep everything down.
This mixture will need to to ferment for two weeks to a month. You need to open the vessel at least once every 2-3 days to allow the gasses to vent (alternatively, you can use a lid with an air lock in it). We chose to ferment for 14 days, beginning May 5th, and ending on May 19th.
When I opened the jar, I was immediately hit with an incredible smell, like a combination of peppers and sauerkraut. The liquid had a bit of milkiness to it, and there were effervescent bubbles as I moved the container caused by the natural yeasts on the peppers..
This initial first version was just a straight up mash of the peppers, garlic, and onions in the container with no extra additives. We used the brine from the fermenting process to smooth everything out, and added about 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar to round it out a bit.
I can attest that the first taste was really good, but the next day it was even better. Allowing the flavours to mingle and get to know one another really improves the taste.
This is a complex hot sauce, and it’s not incredibly hot. My wife, who can’t tolerate spicy foods said that it was really good, and has an almost salsa like flavour to it.
