First, wash the chili peppers, patting them dry with a little paper towel.
Then, cut off the stem ( green tops). It's best to wear gloves and avoid touching your face while dealing with the chilies!
Next, roughly chop the peppers, keeping the seeds. You don't need to be too precise with your chopping as everything will be blended.
Step 2: Blend the red chilli sauce
Add the peppers and the rest of the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blitz into a sauce.Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Then, transfer the sauce to a sterilized jar and enjoy it immediately or store it in the fridge for longer-term storage.Optionally, you can reduce this sauce down to thicken it slightly over a hob. Read the recipe notes for more on that.
How To Store
Store the homemade chili sauce in a glass jar (plastic will stain), for up to 1 month in the fridge and for up to four months in the freezer.If it begins to taste sour or moldy in any way (or has physical signs of mold), then discard it.Also, you may be able to hot water bath can this red chili sauce (and then store it for months in the fridge) - however, it depends on its' pH balance and using the correct method. If this is something you'd like to do, it's best to consult reputable sources regarding canning items.
Notes
Different Peppers and their heat levels:
Mild: Bell pepper (no heat), Friggitello, Anaheim
Medium: Poblano, Guajillo
Hot: Jalapeno, Chipotle, Serrano, Cayenne peppers
Very Hot: Thai chili (also called Bird's eye), Scotch Bonnet, Habanero
SUPER Hot: Ghost pepper, Scorpion pepper.
Make sure to use gloves when dealing with chilies - especially if you decide to remove the seeds. The chili remnants can remain on your skin for days causing burning (and if you touch your mouth/eyes - ouch!).
Feel free to sieve the sauce before bottling it, if preferred. This is especially more for people who don't have very powerful blenders/food processors and ended up with quite a chunky sauce (though even then you can leave it as-is if preferred).
For an oil-free version, you could simply add a little water to help it blend. Though the resulting sauce won't be quite as silky.
For a thicker sauce, you can reduce it on a stovetop for some time at a gentle simmer (usually 20-30 minutes).
Read the optional add-ins section of the blog post above, for more ideas on what to add to this red chilli sauce recipe to jazz it up to your liking!