Photo by reed_sandridge
How are you holding up? It's been just over a week since the news broke that the Huy Fong Foods Sriracha factory in Los Angeles had been ordered by the California Department of Health to halt shipping for 30-days. That means no new sriracha in stores — or in restaurants — until mid-January, when things are set to go back to normal. But that's a long time to go without the hot hot sauce. In other words, it's the #SrirachaApocalypse. If you didn't hoard enough bottles before stocks ran low and are not willing to pay the pirate prices on eBay or the grey market, have now fear. Our version of Srirachs may not be fermented or have a rooster on the bottle, but it's pretty close to the potent condiment. Close enough to get you through the troubled times.
What You Need:
Gloves
Knife
Blender
Saucepan
2 cup container with tight fitting lid
2 lbs of a mix of red jalapeno peppers and fresno peppers, stemmed and seeded
15 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup of water
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar (or other neutral vinegar)
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons salt
What To Do:
Part of the problem that Huy Fong Foods has had, is that residents in the Irwindale city, where the factory is have been complaining about "noxious fumes" coming from the sriracha factory which they claimed were strong enough to irritate eyes and throats. Peppers and vinegar are indeed pungent, and while you wont be making the quantities necessary to take down an entire town here, do take precautions: glove up and crack a window if you are sensitive.
Once the chilies are stemmed and seeded (you can leave some seeds in if you want the extra heat), put the jalapenos, garlic, water, and vinegar in blender and puree until smooth.
Pour the mixture into a large saucepan, and stir in the sugar and salt.
Bring the mixture to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and has reduced to about 2 cups. This should take between 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the sauce cool to room temperature.
Return the mixture to the blender and give it a 20-30 second blitz on a on low speed. POur the sauce into your container and keep in the fridge for 2 days before using. Your sriracha-style sauce can be stored refrigerated for up to 1 month, if it lasts that long.