There may be as many ways to make sos Ti-Malice, the widely popular traditional Haitian hot sauce, as there are Haitian cooks. Many include tomato paste, but here’s one of our favorite ways using only fresh tomatoes. We leave the amount of hot peppers up to you. It’s a good fresh hot sauce, brightly pungent, piquant, and spicy hot that contrasts well with the mild, savory sweetness of Haitian Rice and Beans.
Malice is only a name in Spanish. One of the stories about the origin of this hot sauce involves a man named Ti-Malice.
Yields about 2 cups
1 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 to 3 habanero, Scotch bonnet, jalapeño, or other fresh hot pepper*
1 fresh tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
1½ cups water
*How many depends on how hot you like it and how hot your particular peppers are. Remove the stems, remove the seeds (or don’t, if you like it fiery), and chop.
In a food processor, whirl the onions, garlic, hot peppers, and tomato until there are no large pieces and the mixture is smooth but not fully puréed. In a saucepan, warm the oil on medium-high heat. Carefully add the purée. Add the salt and black pepper, stir for a minute, and cook, uncovered, on low heat for about 15 minutes, or until very soft. Stir frequently, and if too much liquid evaporates and it’s in danger of sticking or browning, add a little water. When the onions and peppers are very soft, but not browned, add the vinegar, lime juice, and water. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Cool to room temperature. The sauce will keep, refrigerated, in a well-covered container up to a week.
Use as you do any hot sauce or salsa: on enchiladas, beans and rice, and scrambled eggs; to dip tortilla chips into; to add extra spark to soups, other sauces, casseroles … you get the picture. Once you’ve had some on hand for a while, you might find yourself making it regularly.