Mash Style Fermented Green Chili Hot Sauce- Lacto Fermented Green Hot Sauce Recipe
It’s alive! Lacto-fermented hot sauce made with fermented peppers.
As you all know two of my favorite things are whiskey and kombucha so why not pair them with this mash style fermented green hot sauce!? This along with my kimchi hot sauce are two of my favorite probiotic hot sauces to make.
It’s super good and also good for you too— This hot sauce is packed full of enzymes, beneficial lactic & acetic acid bacteria (aka probiotics), and also vitamin C.
This funky Lacto fermented hot sauce starts off with a mash made from green peppers, a little salt and dash of kombucha vinegar to kick start the fermentation. This technique is super simple and can be used with any type or varieties of mild/hot peppers.
Using salt in this lacto-fermentation the mash creates its own natural/lactic acid which also helps preserve it. Kombucha uses a different type of fermentation where it produces acetic acid. Not only does this add a nice tang to the hot sauce it also helps preserve the mash so no additional additives or preservatives are needed like some commercial hot sauces.
After about a week of fermentation I cut down the mash & blend it again with more kombucha, fresh lime, herbs (mainly cilantro) and a couple shots of whisky. At that point I can bottle it as a mash style hot sauce or strain it to be more of a Tobasco style runny hot sauce!
*Salt: Use 1 teaspoon salt for every pound of peppers. One pound of peppers is equivalent to about 1 cup of processed mash. 1 teaspoon of salt per cup of mash equates to about 2.3% salt by weight.
Avoid using salts with additives like table salt or iodized salts (iodine tends to inhibit the beneficial bacteria in fermented foods).
INGREDIENTS
1.5 lb green peppers (I used a mix of Jalepeno, serrano peppers, and one green bell pepper- stems and seeds removed)
1.5 tsp sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp cold pressed ginger (*optional)
1/4 cup cilantro stem & leaves (*optional if you don’t like the taste, wash, drain, and loosely chopped)
1/2 onion small, sliced thin (*optional)
2-3 tbs kombucha vinegar (*or Bragg organic, raw apple cider vinegar)
3 tbs water to help process peppers
AFTER FERMENTING / SECOND BLENDING:
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (*optional for taste, loosely chopped)
2 tbs fresh lime juice
2 tbs whiskey (*optional)
1 cup kombucha or kombucha vinegar (*optional, or cider vinegar)
OR sub the vinegar with water to thin pepper mash
THE PREP
Wear protective gloves and remove the tops from the peppers, and split them in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds (leave some seeds if you want it hot).
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl clean, and drain peppers. Then add salt and lightly toss peppers with salt and let soak 10 min.
Add peppers and salt mixture/brine to a blender and blend peppers, kombucha, water, optional ginger juice and cilantro, and garlic. I used a Vitamix mixer for this step. Blend until you get a nice smooth mash (you want like a smoothie consistency).
Transfer to a sterilized jar and seal tightly (leave about an inch of head space to the top of the jar). Allow the jars to sit at room temperature for 3-10 days. You’ll notice bubbles and fermentation after about day 2. Burp jars after day 2, and shake bottles/jars every day as well.
After mash has fermented to your liking, transfer to blender and add lime juice. Taste, add a pinch or two of salt if needed. Add optional fresh herbs like cilantro or fresh fruit or any other flavorings. Add kombucha (or vinegar) to help thin out hot sauce and to add a little tang, OR add water to get your desired consistency / flavor / thickness.
You have two options from here: Either strain the pulp with a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth and bottle and store in the refrigerator if you like a more runnier hot sauce like Tobasco sauce.
Or, you can pour mash sauce directly into bottles or jars without straining for a mash style hot sauce. Just be sure to shake the container before use and store in fridge.