2020 Chilli Sauce Recipe

30 June 2020 by Lincoln Ramsay

The Finished Product

This is the third batch of chilli sauce I’ve made and I actually took some notes this time. Each batch has been slightly different, but the general aim has been more or less the same. I like a thick chilli sauce that is both hot and tasty.

Ingredients

  • 1 brown onion
  • 300g hot chillis (seeds out)
  • 2 tins of tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup vinegar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt

Method

  • Set a pan on high heat with a little oil
  • Caramelize the onion
  • Add the chillis and fry for a couple of minutes
  • Add the other ingredients and simmer for about 20 mins
  • Puree in a Thermomix/Blender/etc.
  • Once the mixture has cooled, transfer to suitable containers

Notes

  • I have a birds eye chilli plant so that’s mostly what I use. Each batch of sauce has had some other chillis as well, depending on what people have given me (eg. this year I had a jalapeno and some milder red chillis too).
  • I collect chillis over time (in this case, about 2 years) so they start out frozen. I thaw before cooking.
  • I take the seeds out ahead of time. This is tedious but I don’t want them in the sauce and I haven’t been game to try the “push it through a sieve” method of seed extraction at the end of the cook. Since I have to de-seed so many frozen chillis, they’re going to start thawing which will encourage spicy juices to come out. I recommend gloves. This year I reinforced the thumb and index finger of my left hand with some glad wrap under the glove, since it turns our they are somewhat permeable.
  • I use different vinegar for a more interesting flavour. This year I combined malt, apple cider, white wine and plain white vinegar.
  • You’ll want good ventilation and some kind of mask, especially when it comes to frying off the chillis. I held a folded paper towel over my nose to facilitate breathing.

The Finished Product