Homemade Fresh Chilli Sauce
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Do you like your hot food? A little chilli-lover are you? Well, this is the recipe for you. This Homemade Fresh Chilli Sauce is so easy to make, and so delicious, that it may just become a regular in your kitchen. Whip up this hot condiment in under an hour, and add some heat to any of your favourite dishes!
Fresh Cayenne Peppers
This summer we decided to grow our own chillis. What a great idea that was! We’ve had beautiful fresh chillis hanging out on our balcony for months, ready to spice up our meals.
These particular chillis that we grew are Cayenne Peppers which are usually moderately hot chilli peppers.
It took about 3 months before we harvested our first batch of red chillis. It was wonderful to watch them grow right in front of our eyes, on our little balcony. At first, the chillis were green, and later they turned red. They are milder when they are green, which works better for some. But when they are red, they are riper, with more flavour and spiciness. It’s your choice.
You could grow your own, or buy them at the store or fresh market. Whatever works for you. This is just to remind you that it isn’t difficult to grow chillis at home. Essentially, all you need is a pot, soil, seeds and water. They don’t ask for much, and they give a whole lot back in return!
I can’t handle a lot of heat, and I don’t find these cayenne red chillis too hot at all. They are spicy but still have a subtle sweetness to them which works perfectly in this homemade fresh chilli sauce. Note: When I picked a couple of these chillis and left them to dry, they were much much hotter!
Simple foods with Superpowers!
Cayenne peppers offer many health benefits, and as a Healthline article says “Many people consider cayenne peppers to be the king of medicinal herbs.” Their benefits range from boosting the metabolism, lowering blood pressure and promoting digestive health. If you want to read more about their health benefits check out this article.
Spices in general offer many health benefits, and we try to use a variety of them in our cooking. They are amazing because they offer so much value – they’re not generally expensive, they add so much flavour, and they offer incredible health benefits. It’s a win-win-win 🙂
As a side note, if you enjoy spices, below is a beautiful book you can check out. But don’t forget to return for the Chilli Sauce recipe below! 🙂
Simple Italian Cooking
So we had all these beautiful red chilli peppers, and I wanted to make something wonderful with them.
Being a lover of Italian cooking, I was inspired by a classic Italian chilli sauce condiment called Peperoncini Freschi Sott’Olio – Fresh Chilli in Olive Oil. This simple condiment typically only has 5 ingredients, and that includes salt!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Chillis, Garlic, White Wine Vinegar, and salt. That’s it.
It’s such a simple recipe. You’re basically just mixing up the garlic and chilli in a blender. Then lightly frying the chilli-garlic mix in a pan. And then adding the oil, to fry very lightly for 25 minutes. After that, you add the vinegar and salt, and it’s ready to bottle.
I love using fewer ingredients and letting them shine. This less-is-more approach to cooking that I experience in Italy so often is amazing. You really start to appreciate each ingredient and the flavours it brings. You use fewer ingredients and simply pair them better.
The combination of these 5 ingredients is yum. And it’s that chilli flavour that stands out as the hero.
Tips to make it just right
Use chillis you like. You can make a sweeter sauce with sweeter chillis. Or you can make an extra hot sauce with hotter chillis. It’s up to you to make your perfect blend. Have some fun and try out different chillis, and see what you prefer.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a blender. You will just need to finely chop your garlic and chilli yourself. It won’t take much time.
Don’t forget to wash your hands after handling your chilli. I often touch my face or rub my eyes after dealing with the chilli, and it stings for ages!
Adjust garlic to suit your preferences. I love garlic, and always happy to add a little more to my meals. If you don’t like garlic, you can add less or leave it out altogether. Remember, when you make this recipe you’re essentially flavouring the extra virgin olive oil with chilli and garlic. So you’ll need to find your perfect balance by trying it out.
Store it in the fridge in a sealed jar. It will keep for a long time, being in the olive oil. In the fridge, the liquid may harden slightly, but once out of the fridge, it’ll resume its normal liquid form.
Add it to many different foods. You can add this condiment to just about anything. Morning eggs, protein, stew, a wrap or sandwich, anything really.
Use the extra oil to cook with. Instead of leaving lots of extra olive oil in the chilli sauce jar, use it to cook with. The oil will be flavoured beautifully with chilli and garlic, perfect for cooking!
Below you’ll find this easy to make Homemade Fresh Chilli Sauce recipe. Enjoy!
If you do make it, let me know in the comments how it went and what your favourite way to eat it is. Take a photo and tag @livethewonderful.life on Instagram and hashtag #livethewondefullife. Looking forward to hearing from you!
ciao for now xoxo
If you’re a chilli-lover, this easy fresh chilli sauce recipe is just for you. Whip it up in under an hour and add a delicious heat to your favourite dishes!