Homemade (Paleo) Sriracha

After bragging about how much I love Sriracha for a whole post, I felt it was about time for me to try making a homemade version of the beloved Rooster hot sauce.
So I did, earlier today.
As you might remember (if not, it's ok), there are two notorious recipes online for DIY Sriracha. One very detailed, that calls for a week of fermentation. The other recipe requires instead about 20 minutes and it’s also paleo.
Obviously, I chose the easier/quicker/paleo one. I’m a notorious slacker in the kitchen; no way I would take on a project that requires 7 days of my life.


But let’s be completely real here. Fermentation is what make Sriracha awesome. The fermentation process is what enhances the savory taste (umami) of the beloved Rooster sauce.
And fermentation takes time.
For instance Huy Fong Sriracha (i.e., the Sriracha you can buy at the grocery store) is fermented for over a week.
Take the fermentation out of the equation and you might get tasty sauce but with no resemblance whatsoever to the real deal. Or so I thought.
But as many times before, I was proven wrong. #TheIronFail.

Michelle Tam, the GENIUS who mastered this paleo homemade version of Sriracha, worked around the fermentation process by adding tomato paste and fish sauce. And guess what: it works!
She actually found the right balance of spice, tang, and sweetness. Also the texture is quite similar. In just about 30 minutes. Score.





I tweaked the recipe a bit as I wanted to achieve a perfect replica of store-bought Sriracha. I cooked the sauce for a longer time at lower temperature to achieve a lookalike texture and consistency.
Also, I swapped apple cider vinegar with white wine vinegar. This adds an extra bit of tanginess.
Lastly, I used a lil less fish sauce than suggested. Besides that, I pretty much stuck to Michelle’s directions.
So without further ado here’s the recipe for the homemade (paleo) Sriracha.


Homemade (Paleo) Sriracha                                                                                                                 Print this recipe!
Barely adapted from nomnompaleo

Important note. Remember to use gloves when handling the peppers to avoid burning your hands and eyes. Also, if you want a milder sauce remove the ribs alongside the seeds.

Ingredients
Makes about 2 cups of Sriracha

1 ½ lb / 700 gr jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
⅓ cup / 80 ml white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons raw organic honey
2 tablespoons fish sauce (I used Red Boat)
1 ½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a blender (or food processor), purée until very smooth. A couple of minutes should suffice; just make sure it reaches a creamy consistency (there should be no visible bits or chucks).
Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as it starts boiling reduce the heat to low, it should barely simmer. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every now and then. The sauce will thicken and the foam will subside as it cooks.
Once cooked, transfer the sauce to a jar and allow to cool.
Keep in the fridge.

Nutrition facts

The whole batch of homemade Sriracha (about 2 cups) scores 455 calories, 7 grams of fat, 105 grams of carbs and 11 grams of protein.