Fresh Sriracha (aka, home made 'Rooster')
Serious business.
You must wear gloves or wrap your fingers in plastic wrap while cutting these peppers! They are HOT!
This palm sugar comes in a plastic bag, inside a container. Yep, it's that sticky.
The peppers and garlic macerate overnight in white vinegar and a little salt.
In goes the palm sugar. You'll need to wash your hands after digging it out of the measuring spoon!
A mere 5 minutes on the stove keeps the peppers fresh and vibrant.
After they're cool, edamame2003 has you puree the peppers for a full 5 minutes in a blender. We were skeptical, but the sauce really does change in color and texture over that time.
Who knows what's going on here. Better not to ask, really.
Pressing the sauce through a fine sieve is surprisingly quick, and worth the extra dishes.
Who would choose the store-bought stuff over this?
Author Notes: Another Thai-centric sauce is the ubiquitous Sriracha, affectionately dubbed ‘Rooster’. Apparently, it’s not just for Thais anymore, as I have heard that is in just about every kitchen (from the Asians to Falafel stands and even in many fine dining establishments). I don’t have to go to Asian markets to pick up a bottle--Wal-Mart in Kennesaw, GA even carries it (I was on location last year and found it there!). It’s so popular that The New York Times has written about it and the ‘Rooster’ has a Facebook page with over 220,000 fans.
Don’t get me wrong--I love my Rooster and for the cost, why make it from scratch? I guess I’m just into testing out flavors and how they blend together--just curious, with some late summer time on my hands and gorgeous peppers available in my garden and at the farmers market. Plus, upon inspection of my ‘Rooster’ sauce, I found it contains Xanthan Gum and Sodium Bisulfite. I suppose it means that the commercial ‘Rooster’ is fermented, and uses the Sodium Bisulfite similarly to wine, as a preservative. - edamame2003
—edamame2003
Food52 Review: Warning: once you make edamame2003's version, you may never be able to go back to commercial sriracha again. The vibrant color and piquancy of the fresh fresno peppers, combined with plenty of garlic and a boost of vinegar, make for a zippy, versatile condiment that would be great with anything from banh mi to scrambled eggs. We'd never used palm sugar before and were intrigued by its gentle sweetness, which helps to round out the heat of the sriracha. - A&M —The Editors
Serves 1 1/2 cups
- 1/2 pound red fresno chiles, coarsely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar
- Place all the ingredients except the sugar in a jar and let sit overnight to mellow the heat of the peppers. I guess one could consider this a brine.
- Place the mixture and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer to a blender and puree for about 5 minutes, until a smooth, orange-red mixture forms. Run through a strainer and smush out as much juice as possible.
- Once refrigerated, the sauce should have the same consistency and texture as the 'Rooster', but less salty and a whole lot fresher tasting!
- I've also adapted a spicy Sriracha spread recipe combining a 1/2 cup vegenaise (or mayo, if you prefer), 1/8 cup of this fresh sriracha, and a Tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk. Yum for anything you'd use mayo on, but with a kick.
- Your Best Condiment Contest Finalist!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Chili Pepper Recipe
More Great Recipes:
Condiments|Vegetables
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almost 2 years ago mstv
Just made this again (2nd year in a row) and doubled it this time. Really nice recipe. Thank you for sharing.
almost 3 years ago MikeeLikesIt
Thanks edamame2003 & Mre Wheelbarrow for your guidance, canned & froze over 2 gallons of sriracha last night!
almost 3 years ago edamame2003
thanks cathy! i agree with the ample head space. I had a bit of an explosion in the sriracha factory that is my kitchen the first time I tried it! excited for you mikeelikesit!
almost 3 years ago edamame2003
Plenty. dont fill up to high.
almost 3 years ago MikeeLikesIt
Thanks for the info! It pays to talk to the farmer -- Alvarez Farms in Yakima, WA -- they took care of me on the Fresnos!
almost 3 years ago MrsWheelbarrow
Cathy is a food preserving expert and author of Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry: Recipes and Techniques for Year-Round Preserving.
Use a 1/2" head space. The sauce may separate in the jar - just shake well before opening, and before using.
almost 3 years ago edamame2003
Hi--I actually did do the water bath on this--and its kept for a year! I've tried a few different methods--fermenting, water bath, both...they all work great. lucky you with the fresnos!
almost 3 years ago MikeeLikesIt
Great - thanks for the quick response. How long did you process -- is 10-12 min enough?
almost 3 years ago MrsWheelbarrow
Cathy is a food preserving expert and author of Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry: Recipes and Techniques for Year-Round Preserving.
Hi MikeeLikesIt (and Eda! Hi!) -- I can this, and similar, hot sauces all the time. 10 min for an 8 ounce jar, 15 for a pint. It holds perfectly for at least a year. I'm jealous of the Fresnos, too!
almost 3 years ago MikeeLikesIt
Has anyone done a traditional canning/water bath with this recipe? I was curious on how long to process. I went all in this year and bought 10 LBS of Fresno's and ended up with almost 2 gallons so I'll be canning it tonight.
over 3 years ago Sharon
You can always substitute brown sugar, dark or light for palm sugar. I always do and it makes no difference at all. Not many people have palm sugar on hand.
over 3 years ago Elizabeth Ellis
you can order the red fresno chili peppers online of they are not available locally
over 3 years ago Elizabeth Ellis
your local store may also get them for you if they order items from Melissa's
over 3 years ago lawprof
I've kept it in the freezer for a year without noticeable degradation. It does separate when you thaw it, but a good shake restores its consistency. I've also stored it in my refrigerator (both fresh made and thawed) for three months without problems. It contains enough acid in the vinegar to forestall bacterial growth.
over 3 years ago Basil Glew-Galloway
How long does it keep?
almost 4 years ago John
Who cares about less salty. Sriracha is too gag nasty sweet. Recipe fail.
almost 4 years ago TheManMachine
To all the people wondering about the chili types, palm sugar etc: Don't worry so much about the exact type of the ingredients. I have made the sauce with other chillies of differing strengths. I have done it with other types of sugar, with regular table salt, with white wine vinegar and with apple cider vinegar. It all turned out excellent. Since I am impatient I also pass on the overnight brining and just boil the stuff in the pan right away. I did not notice any difference doing this. The sauce strength will obviously be directly affected by the chili type, though, but don't be afraid to experiment or stray a little. And cpkog, yes, the smushed juice is the sauce. Just refrigerate it and shake a little before using.
almost 4 years ago cpkog
So the juice that you smush through the strainer is the sauce? After refrigerating?
almost 4 years ago angelitakarmalita
Yep, that's it!
almost 4 years ago Zo
Don't get those chillies here. What would be the alternate?
almost 4 years ago angelitakarmalita
Red jalapenos would be a good substitute. Their the right color and they've got some heat.
almost 4 years ago Zo
Can this be made with round red chillies. We get only those red chillies here and that too dried ones.
over 3 years ago Sharon
Also throw in several dried chile de arbol with the jalapenos. They add tremendous depth of flavor.
almost 4 years ago epicureanodyssey
Oooooooo, I just made this! Fantastic! I have never made the recipe before because I have never found that many red chiles where I live. I recently hauled them back from the Oakland Farmers Market. YUM!
about 4 years ago Debutante Daisy
I live in MD and for some reason Fresno Chiles are hard to come by. So I planted my own this year. I tried this a few years ago and found it wasn't spicy enough for my liking. So, this year I tripled the recipe using 1 pound Fresnos and 1/2 pound Thai Dragon Chiles. I used a combination of white vinegar and cider vinegar but lessened the amount by a half cup. The sauce came out much spicier than previous years which made me very happy. The basic recipe is already great and I thank the author for posting it because it is hard to go back to regular Rooster once you've had the pleasure of this sauce on your taste buds!
about 4 years ago Amber Roth DeGrace
I adapted this recipe to make my own and blogged about it here: http://www.amberdegrace...
about 4 years ago angelitacarmelita
It's August here in NOVA, and I just found the first Fresno's of the year. I bought a pound and a half, and am making a triple batch today. I make it exactly as the recipe is written. This keep so well, if you find Fresno's make a big batch.
about 4 years ago msgruvn
i've made this sauce several times and always make a giant batch when i find the chilis. it keeps beautifully in the fridge and just gets more mellow. it is wonderful for gifts. i have used combos of the chilis-green and red- prefer fresnos but i have used jalapeno. brown sugar honey or agave, and use a little less sugar with bragg's apple cider vinegar. i have been meaning to comment on this forever and thankyou so much.
over 4 years ago angelitakarmalita
It's spring here in NOVA and I don't have access yet to Fresno's, but what I do have is amazing access to a lot of Asian markets. I picked up a huge bag of Thai bird chilies, and am trying the same recipe w/them. It's about to get hot up in here!
Showing 29 out of 137 comments