Fermented chipotle sauce
Fermented chipotle sauce
We eat a lot of southwestern cuisine and this fermented sauce adds smokiness and a little heat to your dish.
Yields: 1 cup
Ingredients
1 cup red bell pepper - chopped
¼ cup red onion - chopped
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
2 tablespoons dried chipotle pepper – broken into pieces
2 tablespoons garlic – 4 to 5 cloves chopped
Salt 3%
Steps
Sample fermenting formula: vegetable in grams + water in grams x 3% = how much salt in grams
600 grams x .03 (3%) = 18 grams salt
Using a digital scale, weigh a clean, large, wide-mouth mason jar. Tare the scale to zero. Place all the ingredients except the paprika, salt and lemon juice in the jar. Fill the jar with non-chlorinated water until the vegetables are completely submerged. Weigh the filled jar in grams. Multiply the number by .03 to determine how many grams of salt to add. Pour the liquid into a glass measuring cup, add the paprika and salt and stir to dissolve. Pour the brine back into the jar.
Use a water bag or fermenting weight to press down the veggie mix. All the veggies need to be submerged to reduce the chance of bad bacteria growing.
Ferment 5-7 days. Pour most of the liquid into a glass measuring cup. Empty the remaining jar into a high-speed blender. Blend until it is the consistency you like – add reserved liquid as needed. Pour into a clean glass jar, seal it and place it in the fridge. Save any remaining juice. You can use it as a flavour boost for a dressing or dishes such as chili.
