The document provides a recipe for making homemade sriracha-style hot sauce. It begins by explaining the health benefits of sriracha and why making your own allows you to customize the spice levels and avoid preservatives. The recipe that follows calls for dried chilis, fresh peppers, vinegar, salt and other ingredients. It provides instructions to roast the dried chilis, soak them, simmer the pepper mixture and blend it with additional ingredients. Finished hot sauce can be thinned with vinegar or sweetened with honey. Four ways to enjoy the homemade sriracha are also described, such as using it in a vegetable dip, marinade or BBQ sauce.

1. PHOTO:BENFULLERTON;FOODSTYLIST:EMILYCHOI
Pep talk
SRIRACHA IS TRENDING among foodies and health nuts alike, and for good
reason: The chili peppers that make up this spicy Thai condiment pack both
tantalizing zing and capsaicin, a compound that may fight lung and gut
tumors, prevent gastric ulcers, and rev metabolism.
Make your own sriracha sauce, and not only do you nix the preservatives
and excess sodium found in some store brands, you can also get creative and
adjust spice levels by using a mix of colorful peppers—from milder green
jalapeños and red chipotles to super-spicy orange habaneros and yellow ají
amarillo chilis. When it’s customized to your palate, you’ll want to eat it every
day, says Jennifer Trainer Thompson, author of Hot Sauce! Technniques for
Making Signature Hot Sauces. Here, Thompson shares her special sriracha
recipe as well as ways to use it to turn up the heat in a variety of meals.
Thrill your palate and support your practice with healthy,
sriracha-inspired hot sauce. By Yelena Moroz
Marinade
Place tofu cutlets or skinless
chicken breasts in a plastic bag
with ½ cup hot sauce and shake
to coat. Let sit 6 hours, then grill.
You’ll cook off a bit of heat but
still have plenty of flavor.
Vegetable dip or
sandwich spread
Mix 1 tsp hot sauce into 1 cup
mayo. Add to canned tuna or
chopped hard-boiled eggs for
a salad with extra zip, or use as
a veggie dip.
Ice cream topping
In a bowl, combine 1 pint
fresh, mashed raspberries,
2 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp hot
sauce. Strain and serve
over vanilla ice cream or
lemon sherbet.
BBQ sauce
Mix puréed tomatoes with
homemade hot sauce, honey,
and chopped fresh garlic. Adjust
ingredient amounts for desired
sweetness or heat. Use to top
grilled meat, shrimp, or tofu.
4 WAYS TO SAVOR YOUR HOT SAUCE
10 dried ají amarillo chilis
or chipotle peppers
½ lb fresh red jalapeño or
Fresno peppers,
chopped, seeds
removed and reserved
½ lb orange habanero
peppers, chopped,
seeds removed and
reserved
2 cups distilled white
vinegar, plus more for
thinning
1 tbsp salt
4 large cloves garlic
3 tbsp honey, plus more
for sweetening
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
sriracha-style hot sauce
MAKES 3 CUPS
Heat oven to 225°F. On a baking sheet,
roast dried chilis until fragrant, 3 minutes.
Submerge chilis in a pot of hot water and
soak until soft, 20 minutes. Remove and
discard chili stems and membranes.
In a medium, nonreactive (e.g., stainless
steel) saucepan, combine all chilis and
peppers, vinegar, and salt, and heat to
below boiling; simmer, 10 minutes. Let cool.
In a blender, purée peppers mixture,
garlic, honey, and lemon juice until
smooth. For a thinner sauce, add 1–3 tbsp
reserved vinegar. If desired, add reserved
seeds to kick up the heat, or honey to
sweeten. Pour into a sterilized jar and
refrigerate. The sauce will remain fresh for
6 weeks.
NUTRITIONAL INFO 5 calories per 1 tsp serving, 0 g fat,
1 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein, 4 mg sodium
60
eat well
FOOD NEWS
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