Fermented chilli sauce

This sauce, made by fermenting capsicums (peppers) and hot chillies, has a much more complex flavour than your average chilli sauce. You can make it as hot or mild as you like by adjusting the ratio of chilli and capsicum. Serve it alongside scrambled eggs, chorizo and Cornbread for quite possibly the best hangover cure in the world.

MAKES: 2 x 750 ml (26 oz) jars or bottles

INGREDIENTS

1½ tablespoons sea salt

1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) water

5 red capsicums (peppers)

60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) olive oil, plus extra for sealing the jar

2 garlic cloves

2 long red chillies

2 tablespoons raw or granulated white sugar

EQUIPMENT

large pouring jug

roasting tin

large bowl

plastic wrap

sharp knife

1 x 2 litre (64 oz) jar

food processor or hand-held blender

fine-mesh sieve

2 x 750 ml (26 oz) jars or bottles and lids, washed in very hot soapy water, then rinsed well and air dried

CHILLI SAUCE METHOD

1.	Make the brine: Put the sea salt and water in a large pouring jug and stir until the salt has dissolved.
2.	Roast the capsicums: Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Place the whole capsicums in a roasting tin, drizzle with the olive oil and toss until coated. Roast for 15–20 minutes, turning after 5 minutes. The skin should be blistered and burnt in places, and the flesh soft to touch. Remove from the oven, place in a large bowl and quickly cover with plastic wrap; this will steam the capsicums and make it easier to remove the skin. Allow to cool, then peel off the blackened skin. Remove the seeds, discarding the liquid in the bowl. Slice the flesh into strips and set aside.
3.	Chop the garlic and chilli: Peel the garlic, smash the cloves with the back of a knife, then roughly chop. Cut the stems off the chillies. The seeds of the chillies are where the heat lives, so remove the seeds if you’d like a milder sauce, or leave them in if you’re after some heat. Thinly slice the chillies.
4.	Pack your jar: Add the capsicum, garlic and chilli to your 2 litre (64 oz) jar, then pour in the brine, making sure the capsicums are well covered, but leaving about the top one-quarter of the jar empty, as this mixture will expand as it ferments. There may be some brine left over, which is fine.
5.	Seal and leave: Put the lid on loosely. Accumulating gas will need to escape, so keep an eye on the jar and release the gas by opening the lid every few days. If you have a jar lid with an air lock, this would also work well.
6.	Check in daily: If there is any white mould on top, just skim it off; it isn’t harmful. After a few days, the mixture will start bubbling and the liquids and solids will separate. This is normal.
7.	Purée and strain: After a week, purée the capsicum mixture, add the sugar, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve; if you like a chunkier sauce, only lightly purée the capsicum mixture and don’t strain it.
8.	Bottle and store: Pour the sauce into two 750 ml (26 fl oz) bottles, then cover with a layer of olive oil to stop mould forming on top. Store your sauce in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 2 months.