Hot sauce

Fermenting chillies gives just the right level of gentle sourness to the sauce: if it sounds weird, remember that Tabasco, arguably the king of chilli sauces, is fermented. The heat of your sauce will depend on the heat of the chillies, so taste a little before you start.

MAKES ABOUT 300ML INGREDIENTS

500g red chillies, stalks removed, chopped

1 head of garlic (weighing about 50g), cloves smashed and peeled

50g fine sea salt

1 litre water

METHOD

Mix the chilli and garlic and pack into a 1 litre jar.

Mix the salt and water until the salt has dissolved. Pour 400ml of this on to the chillies and garlic in the jar, pressing down so that they are covered in liquid.

Pour half of the remaining salty water into a sturdy freezer bag, seal well and put the whole bag into the jar – its job is to keep the chillies and garlic below the surface of the liquid. Top up the bag with more salty water if necessary.

Put the jar, still open, in a deep dish and leave at room temperature for two weeks. It should start to bubble. The garlic cloves may turn blue – don’t panic! This is a natural reaction of the anthocyanin in the garlic and the acid.

After about two weeks, remove the bag of brine. Drain the chillies and garlic in a sieve over a bowl, to collect the fermenting liquid. Purée the chillies and garlic in a blender with 100ml of the fermenting liquid. Pour into sterilised bottles and store in the fridge. It will keep for six months.