This can be made with any chili, but the yellow chilies in the Lufa Farm boxes are perfect for a hot sauce since they’re less biter than a green jalapeno and have more flavour than heat. All you need are 1 or 2 chili peppers, some salt, and a squeeze of lime juice or lemon juice for the freshest salsa (not the dip kind for tortilla chips!) north of the Equator. If you want it to last a few days in your fridge, or if you want make it less pungent, add a tbsp of olive oil or a less-flavoured oil. You can also optionally add minced garlic for umami depth or diced carrots to sweeten the paste and reduce the heat.
Ingredients:
2 hot yellow chili peppers, seeds and white membrane removed
1/2 tsp salt
juice of 1/2 a lime (or 1-2 tbsp lemon juice, to taste)
Optional additions: 1 tbsp oil; 1 clove of garlic, minced; 1 tbsp diced carrot
Directions:
Cut off the top of the chili pepper, slice lengthwise, and remove the seeds and membranes (hint: wear rubber gloves so you don’t have to wash your hands 5 times to make sure you don’t accidentally touch your eyes after touching the chili peppers!).
Slice the length of chili peppers in half and combine in a blender or food processor with the salt and lime juice.
Process until almost smooth.
Serve with grilled meats, baked or mashed potatoes (add yogurt or sour cream to cool the heat if you like), corn on the cob or fritters, tortillas, or any South or Central American dish: empanadas, tacos, burritos, tamales (how I originally used the salsa), etc. It’s also great with Thai and Vietnamese rice and noodle dishes. Try it on a rice noodle salad with green papaya or mango, red pepper, fish sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and soy sauce.
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