Trinidadian Pepper Sauce
Trinidadian Pepper Sauce - kvalifood.com
A raw blended hot sauce of scotch bonnet peppers, chadon beni, garlic, and mustard, preserved with white vinegar. Mustard is what distinguishes Trinidadian pepper sauce from other Caribbean hot sauces. Everything is blended, never cooked. Let it age at least a week before using – the flavour improves with time.
Use it sparingly on doubles, roti, pelau, fried bake and shark, or any dish that needs a sharp hit of heat. A few drops go a long way.
Makes ca. 500 ml
Ingredients
- 12-15 scotch bonnet peppers (ca. 150 g), stems removed
- 1 seasoning pepper (pimento pepper), seeded
- 1 head garlic (ca. 10 cloves), peeled
- 15 chadon beni leaves (culantro), washed
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 240 ml white vinegar (at least 5% acidity)
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp dry mustard powder
- 2 tsp salt
Directions
-
Wearing gloves, wash the scotch bonnet peppers and remove the stems. Seed them if you want less heat.
-
Place the garlic, chadon beni, seasoning pepper, ginger, and half the vinegar in a blender. Blend until mostly smooth.
-
Add the scotch bonnets and remaining vinegar. Blend to desired consistency – smooth or slightly coarse.
-
Add the mustard powder, lime juice, and salt. Pulse to combine.
-
Transfer to sterilised glass jars. Use plastic or wooden lids and spoons – vinegar corrodes metal.
-
Refrigerate. Let age at least 1 week before using for best flavour.
Notes
- Keeps 4-6 months refrigerated in sterilised jars.
- Use assorted pepper colours (red, yellow, orange) for visual appeal.
- If chadon beni is unavailable, substitute cilantro but use 2-3x the amount.
- Wear goggles if blending in an open blender – scotch bonnet fumes are intense.
- Dry mustard powder is more traditional than prepared mustard.
See Also
Trinidadian Pepper Sauce
Jamaican Mango Chutney
