I recall discussing with a chef about a forthcoming menu on which he was considering using polenta as the side dish when I initially started my profession as a cook in San Francisco. I enquired as to whether Poland was being discussed. He asserted that he was unaware of Poland. We were going to offer something called polenta at the restaurant, so I contacted my mother to let her know. I enquired about her knowledge of it. She chuckled and remarked that they were the same. She clarified that “pol-an-da” was simply how our family pronounced the word polenta. To put it mildly, I felt rather humiliated!
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 32 |
| Yield: | 2 pints |
Ingredients
- 18 fresh Scotch Bonnet peppers, sliced and seeded
- 6 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced
- ½ cup minced onion
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients.
- Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
- Combine peppers, onion, garlic, oil, and salt in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
- Pour in water; cook and stir until peppers are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
- Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
- Transfer mixture to a blender and purée until smooth. Pour in vinegar and sugar; blend until mixed.
- Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
- Transfer to a container, cover, and store in the refrigerator.
- Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
- Replace scotch bonnets with habaneros or jalapeños for a milder sauce or if scotch bonnets are unavailable.
- Use similarly colored peppers to keep the sauce a consistent color.
- Leave seeds in some or all of the scotch bonnets for an even spicier sauce.
Reviews
Subbed bell pepper for jalapeños due to availability, yielded 18 ounces. Fruity and spicy with all the scotch bonnet seeds. Will be making again!
I made this recipe following precise ingredients and instructions. It was fairly easy to make. I used the sauce one or two times and the jar sat in the fridge. One member of my family dipped his fingers in the jars and his face puffed and became hot and red. Be careful, this sauce burns both your ends.
I made this but changed a few things. I used 24 Orange Scotch Bonnets w/seeds (no jalepenos). 1tsp salt. 1/2 cup water. I can peaches. 2 small skinned Roma tomato’s. No sugar. I pureed it all raw, THEN cooked it. Much easier and faster than cooking it first then having to wait for it to cool. Plus, if you blend it afterwards, your going to have to heat it again to sterilize it before bottling. I used a small generic magic bullet knockoff and it worked perfect, didn’t need to strain anything. It’s not hot at all, you can literally dredge your taco’s in it and it’s all flavor, little heat. Trust me I don’t like HOT stuff, this is great. I’ll never buy bottled sauce again. Oh and I grew the peppers myself. I think next time I’ll use fresh peaches or pureed carrot.
Great recipe. Smoke half the scotch bonnets (I used hickory) and it will be the best hot sauce you’ve ever had. Other good optional enhancements are lime/citrus and ginger (to taste).
Fantastic method and recipe. I did adjust a few ingredients and measurements due to the volume of peppers I had on hand. I had 4 red scotch bonnets, 8 habaneros, 6 red Fresnos, and about 26 Thai chiles. I used a camper stove and cooked the peppers down outside in a stock pot, which proved to be an EXCELLENT choice. I increased the water and vinegar amounts by 50%, used 2 teaspoons of salt. After cooking and cooling, I blended with 1.5 ripe peaches and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Turned out incredibly fruity, garlicky and SO spicy. Flavor of habaneros really cuts through, and the heat from the Thai chiles is extraordinary. Because I used all red, orange and yellow peppers, color turned out BEAUTIFUL. Can’t wait to experiment with different ingredients using this method!
I made this exactly per the published recipe and it is wonderful! I might try the habinero variant next, to match my wife’s tolerance for heat
Substituted maple syrup for the sugar and used apple cider vinegar instead…. YUM!!!!
I used 5 types of peppers as I had grown them and wanted to use them up. Great taste and very hot, I never take the seeds out. Ghost, Habenero, Cobra, Cherry Bomb and Jalapeno. Will make again!
I used 5 types of peppers as I had grown them and wanted to use them up. Great taste and very hot, I never take the seeds out. Ghost, Habenero, Cobra, Cherry Bomb and Jalapeno. Will make again!
This recipe was amazing!!! I love it over fajita meat!
I made it exactly as written and everyone loves it. It is VERY SPICY!
Dang hot and perfect to add to burgers and spagetti!
Can be a bit too spicy for some. I like to make it with 12 Scotch Bonnets and 3 Jalapenos as the peppers here are quite spicy.
I replaced most of water with jalapeno juice and added a little relish.. also added a little lime juice.
Amazing!
Recipe was pretty good. Cooked the peppers outside on the BBQ to avoid having to inhale all of that pepper juice….
Made this recipe as directed, with the only changes being keeping the seeds in the peppers and adding some curry powder. Absolutely outstanding! Was so popular among our neighbours that I had to immediately make another batch as my stock got scooped up. For me, this is a good level of heat. For my wife, her tongue was still burning the day after trying it. So it just depends on how accustomed you are to hot foods. Thanks for this recipe!
It’s so hard to find a hot sauce that really lives up to the name. This recipe is a total winner! I made it with only the scotch bonnets, but kept the seeds in and omitted the jalapeños. WOW!!! If you really like your sauce HOT, this variation kicks it up several notches and has that unique scotch bonnet flavor. A little bit goes a long way.. and it tastes amazing. I will never buy hot sauce from a grocery store again!
Followed the recipe; with the exception of the sugar (not a fan); but substituted 1 1/2 cups of sweet peppers to provide some balance. Tastes fantastic fresh; can’t wait for it to age a couple of weeks.
Made this with chile and cubanelle peppers. Has good flavor but a little too sweet. Half the sugar next time.
We used Carolina reapers and ghost peppers instead of scotch bonnets. We nearly killed ourselves making it. Lower the heat on the stove. Feels like pepper spray in your lungs when you cook it. Recommend using eye goggles and a bandanna/face mask.