Faux Tabasco Sauce

From Victoria Holder

South East Queensland is still seeing some gorgeous days of warmth this early autumn. The last of these little pocket rocket chillies are in and ready to be fermented.
The flavour now develops intrigue, highlighting acidity with depth of heat complexity.
A teaspoon of paste in a tofu stir fry, over chicken wings or a prawn pasta. While the faux Tabasco sauce will escalate a Bloody Mary or pimp an oyster shot…

*250grams fresh ripe red chillies. ( a mix of different varieties will add complexity ) Sliced lengthways, optional to keep seeds or not.
*3 cloves garlic (peeled, sliced in half)
*500ml filtered water, brought to boil then cooled.
*10grams pure sea salt (not iodised)

1) Add 10grams sea salt to cooling 500ml water, stir till dissolved.

2) In fermentation vessel or glass jar add the prepared chillies & garlic.

3) Once salted water is cooled, pour over chillies until just covered. Apply fermenter lid or supplied jar lid.

4) Leave in a cool dry place for upto 2weeks.
This batch only took 7days in our current weather. Look for fermentation bubbles, burp lid daily if required as gas builds. It’s ready when you like the smell of freshness vs fermentation.

5) When ready strain through a fine sieve, keeping the liquid aside.

6) Using a food processor whizz up the drained chillies & garlic till consistency of liking, fill sterilised jar/s. Keep in fridge.

7) The reserved liquid can be brought to the boil, simmered for 15min, adjusted with sugar if required, then cooled. This will create a FauxTobasco with bright freshness. Keep in fridge.