Tabasco sauce can be easily made using tabasco chilies, vinegar, and salt. The taste of each sauce is different, depending on the region where the chili is produced/developed and the quality of the vinegar used. To make tabasco sauce, combine the basic ingredients, cook everything, then strain and save the sauce.
Ingredients
- 450 grams of fresh tabasco chili
- 480-500 ml vinegar (distilled)
- 2 tablespoons salt
Step
Part 1 of 3: Mixing the Ingredients
Step 1. Choose a quality vinegar that has been distilled
Since this recipe requires very few ingredients, it is important that you use the best quality ingredients. Avoid low-quality vinegar products and choose a better quality product (usually sold in glass bottles). Also make sure the vinegar has been distilled.
Step 2. Use fresh tabasco chilies that are ripe and undamaged
Choose chili that is bright red evenly. Avoid bent or damaged chilies. If the market in your city doesn't sell tabasco chilies, or you grow other varieties/species of chili, you can experiment with this type of chili.
- If you want to experiment with other chili species, choose hot chili varieties. Ideally, the chili should be green, but you can use a different color.
- Variants or alternative species of hot chili peppers include serrano, habanero, and cayenne peppers.
Step 3. Be careful when handling and chopping the chili
If you have sensitive skin, try wearing disposable gloves beforehand. Chili juice is very strong and can sting the skin. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling chilies. Do not touch your eyes or face when you process chilies.
Step 4. Remove the stalks from the chili
Wash the chilies thoroughly in cold water to remove dirt and dust. To remove the stems, simply cut off the top of the chili (including the stem) with a sharp knife.
Step 5. Chop the chilies manually or using a food processor
Once the stems are removed, place all the chilies in a food processor or blender. Turn on the machine and process until all the chilies are roughly chopped. If you don't have either of these tools, you can coarsely chop the chilies manually (using a knife).
Part 2 of 3: Cooking Sauce
Step 1. Put the chili, vinegar and salt in a saucepan
Add the chopped chilies to a medium-sized saucepan on the stove. After that, add 500 ml of vinegar and 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of salt. Turn the stove on to medium-high heat.
Step 2. Heat the mixture to a boil
Bring the chili mixture to a boil and stir periodically to prevent the chilies from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Step 3. Simmer the sauce over low heat for 5 minutes
Once the sauce boils, lower the heat to low heat. Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes. To prevent the mixture from heating too long, set a timer. After that, immediately remove the pan from the stove.
Stir the mixture occasionally, but don't let you stand directly in front of the pot and take deep breaths. The steam produced by hot sauce can cause irritation to the lungs and respiratory tract
Step 4. Cool the mixture
Turn off the stove and remove the pot. Cover the pot and let the mixture cool before you puree it.
Do not mash the mixture right away until the sauce has cooled. When hot, the consistency of the sauce is thinner. This means that the final result will be a very runny sauce
Part 3 of 3: Sifting the Dregs and Storing the Sauce
Step 1. Puree the sauce until it is pure using a blender
Once the mixture has cooled, put it in a blender. Puree the chili mixture thoroughly until it becomes a liquid puree.
You can use a food processor if your device has a special puree setting
Step 2. Pour the sauce into an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 weeks
Use a funnel to transfer the sauce to a glass jar with an airtight lid. Put the lid on and store the bottle or jar in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. This will allow the chili to mix with the other ingredients and enhance the sauce's flavor. The seeds contained in the mixture make the sauce even more spicy when stored.
Step 3. Strain the mixture
After two weeks, remove the sauce from the refrigerator. Pour the sauce into a fine sieve to filter out any seeds that are still in the mixture. Make sure you place a bowl or jar under the strainer to catch the sauce.
Step 4. Put the sauce back in the refrigerator
Once strained, pour the sauce into a glass jar or sealed plastic container, then store it back in the refrigerator.
- If stored in the refrigerator, tabasco sauce can last for more than a year.
- It is not recommended to freeze the sauce, as the freezing process can change the taste and consistency of the sauce.
