Make your own fermented hot sauce with this kit! Fermentation gives your hot sauce that deeper flavour explosion. Is it difficult? Not at all! Get started right away with this kit to make a Habanero Hot Sauce or Mexican Hot Sauce with dried chili peppers. You can read the recipes for these sauces below. Or order the fermentation kit separately and get started yourself with your favourite chillies.

– What happens during the fermentation process?
Microorganisms break down or convert molecules in food, creating new flavours. For example, peppers naturally contain lactic acid bacteria. These multiply rapidly during the fermentation process, due to the conditions in the jar. As the lactic acid bacteria grow and feed on the sugars from the chillies, they acidify the chillies and the brine they are in, while at the same time preserving and making them tastier.  When the pH drops below 4.5, other bacteria cannot survive. With the new acidity, the flavour, smell and appearance of the chillies also changes and you get a tastier hot sauce!

– What’s in the package?
The package consists of a plastic fermentation jar with plug. The lid of the jar one has a stopper, to which an airlock can be attached. In a jar with an ordinary lid, too much pressure can build up. Then the lid pops off, or the whole jar itself bursts out. Not very handy so hence the airlock. There is also a pressing element, which ensures that the peppers/fermentation stay under water, otherwise they might go mouldy.

Here’s how to use the fermentation kit:
Step 1: Clean the jar, lid, airlock and the pressing element well with soap and hot water (70 to 75 degrees, no higher than that, otherwise the pot can deform). Ingredients only need to be rinsed off.
Step 2: Rinse the fermentation kit well with water and dry with paper or a dry clean kitchen towel. Note this is very important, you should not touch the inside of the jar with your hands after this.
Step 3: Fill the jar with your chosen recipe or one of your own. Spread the legs of the pressing element, place it on top of the fermentation so that it’s pressed down. Tighten the lid tightly, place the airlock on the lid and fill it with water.
Step 4: Let the jar ferment for at least 10 days at room temperature in the dark (out of direct sunlight). Longer than 10 days is also possible, it takes about 5 days for the fermentation process to start.
Step 5: Drain the ferment, with the pressing element and proceed with the recipe.
– After fermenting, repeat steps 1 and 2. Store the fermentation kit dry and clean and then it will be ready for your next hot sauce.

Basic tips:
– Use clean products, free of mould and spoilage. Fermentation cannot make products come to life, so only use products you would eat fresh as well.
– Product + water + 2% sea salt of the total fermentation weight. It’s important that it is pure and unprocessed salt, so that why we advise sea salt.
– Fill the jar until the products are under water and no more oxygen can reach them. Do this using the pressing element.
– It is best to store the fermentation between 20 and 28 °C. If the temperature is too cold it will not ferment and too high can make the fermentation go bad.
– Finished fermenting, but in doubt whether the final product is good. We recommend to toss it away and start again, don’t take any risks with this. Failure is part of success, so if it didn’t quite work out then you have a good reason to try again. Fermentation is a learning process, every failure is one step closer to your ultimate hot sauce!

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Recipe 1: Habanero Hot Sauce
  Ingredients:
– 550g red Habanero chillies
– 3 cloves of garlic
– 425ml water
– 20g sea salt (2% of the complete weight of the fermentation)
   After fermentation, add
– 200ml apple vinegar
– 50g sugar

1. Destem the Habanero chilies and cut the garlic into quarters. Put the Habaneros, garlic and water in a blender or hand blend and puree this briefly until you have a coarse sauce.
2. Put this in the jar. Spread legs of the pressing element, position it so the sauce is pressed down. Tighten the lid tightly and place the water seal on the lid and fill that with water.
3. Let the jar ferment for at least 10 days at room temperature in the dark (out of direct sunlight). We recommend somewhere on the top shelf of the kitchen, where it is slightly warmer. Longer than 10 days is also fine, it takes about 5 days for the fermentation process to get going.
4. Drain the ferment, but save 200ml of the water. Puree the fermentation with a blender or food processor and add the 200ml saved water, 200ml apple vinegar and 50g sugar. Taste it and add more sugar and/or vinegar if you like. Strain if necessary or keep it chunky.
5. Bring the sauce to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Now the fermentation stops and the sauce will be preservable for a longer time in the fridge. If you find the sauce too thin, you can thicken it with a thickener of your choice, e.g. cornstarch.
6. Pour the sauce into a clean bottle or jar. Place the jar upside down so that it vacuums and is perfectly sealed. Let the sauce cool and store in the fridge.

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Recipe 2: Mexican Hot Sauce
  Ingredients
– 55g dried Mexican chili peppers (2x Ancho, 4x Chipotle, 2x Arbol)
– 5g cumin seeds
– 6 cloves of garlic
– 750ml water
– 16,5g sea salt (2% of the complete weight of the fermentation)
  After fermentation, add
– 250 ml apple vinegar
– 60 g sugar

1. Destem the dried chilies and cut the garlic into quarters. Toast the cumin seeds and dried chilies briefly, this will give the Mexican hot sauce a deeper flavour.
2. Put all ingredients in the jar. Spread the legs of the pressing element, and place it so the peppers stay under water. Tighten the lid tightly and place the water seal on the lid and fill that with water.
3. Let the jar ferment for at least 10 days at room temperature in the dark (out of direct sunlight). We recommend somewhere on the top shelf of the kitchen, where it is slightly warmer. Longer than 10 days is also fine, it takes about 5 days for the fermentation process to get going.
4. Drain the ferment, but save 250ml of the water. Puree the fermentation with a blender or food processor and add the 250ml saved water, 250ml apple vinegar and 60g sugar. Taste it and add more sugar and/or vinegar if you like. Strain if necessary or keep it chunky.
5. Bring the sauce to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Now the fermentation stops and the sauce will be preservable for a longer time in the fridge. If you find the sauce too thin, you can thicken it with a thickener of your choice, e.g. cornstarch.
6. Pour the sauce into a clean bottle or jar. Place the jar upside down so that it vacuums and is perfectly sealed. Let the sauce cool and store in the fridge.