Bird’s Eye Chili Hot Sauce

A basic hot sauce recipe that only has 6 ingredients! Feel free to customize this bird’s eye chili hot sauce recipe to your taste with additional seasonings. Using bird’s eye chili peppers and any combination of sweet red peppers, this hot sauce can be dolloped onto any dish to give it a spicy kick. Best of all, since this hot sauce isn’t cooked, it is full of probiotics that are beneficial for your gut health! This is a great recipe for getting started on your homemade hot sauce making journey.

Bird’s Eye Chili Hot Sauce Recipe Method

Step 1

Peel 2 garlic cloves and place them into your mason jar.

Step 2

Roughly chop the 25-30 birds eye chilis. Check the chili pepper seeds. If they are black or discoloured then discard the seeds. I suggest wearing gloves when cutting the chili peppers as they can make your skin and eyes burn if you are not careful.

Step 3

Roughly chop a red bell pepper and any variety of sweet red chilis to make up 2 cups. Place into your mason jar.

Step 4

Measure out 2 cups (500mL) of de-chlorinated water. I suggest using tap water that has been boiled and come back down to room temperature. Dissolve 18 grams (~1 tablespoon) of non-iodized salt in the water.

Step 5

Pour salt-water into the jar, making sure that all the ingredients are submerged under water. If there is not enough salt water solution, dissolve 1/2 tablespoon of salt in 1 cup (250mL) of water and pour into the jar.

Step 6

If there is a lot of headspace in the jar, place a weight such as a stone or ziploc bag filled with water over the ingredients to keep them submerged.

Step 7

Place the jar on a small plate and leave on your kitchen counter, away from direct sunlight, for 1-3 weeks to ferment. Fermenting for a longer period of time will produce a sourer, more funky hot sauce. Fermenting for a shorter period of time will produce fresher flavours.

Step 8

Tap the jar lid every day for the first week to see if CO2 gas is being produced and putting pressure on the lid. If you can’t press the lid down, ‘burp the jar’ by gently unscrewing the lid to release the gas pressure.

Step 9

After 6-8 weeks, strain the salt brine from the other ingredients. Put the ingredients in a blender with 1/4 cup of brine liquid. Add 3 tablespoons of white sugar. Blend.

Step 10

Taste the hot sauce and add more sugar if necessary. If desired, adjust the flavour by adding salt, spices, or vinegar at this this time.

Step 11

(Optional) If you prefer a thinner, more pourable sauce, strain the sauce. You may also whisk in 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to thicken the hot sauce. I usually skip this step.

Step 12

Store the hot sauce in the fridge. I have kept hot sauce for a year in the fridge. The flavours will change as it continues to ferment in the refrigerator.

Other recipes you might like:

• Fermented Mango Habanero Hot Sauce
• Lacto-Fermented Carrots
• Fermented Pico de Gallo
• Fermented Pineapple Salsa