If you’re fortunate enough to find ghost chiles, try this Ghost Chile Hot Sauce — intensely fragrant and seriously hot.
A few weeks before Hurricane Sandy, I received a box of exotic produce from Frieda’s that included a pack of brilliant red chile peppers. I didn’t know what they were at first, only that they were stunning. I handled them with bare hands — a mistake. Even after washing several times, the pepper oils lingered and the next morning putting in my contact lenses made my eyes burn.
Ghost Hot Chiles
Lesson: always wear gloves when handling very hot peppers. After contacting Frieda’s I learned these were Ghost Chiles — one of the hottest peppers in the world, with Scoville ratings around one million. That explained the burning sensation.
So what do you do with extremely hot ghost chiles? Make hot sauce. Frieda’s included a “Hurtin’ Hot Sauce (Proceed with caution!)” recipe that inspired this version, which balances ghost chiles with tomatoes and a red bell pepper. I removed the seeds as an extra precaution.
Even without seeds and with tomatoes and red bell pepper to mellow it, this Ghost Chile Hot Sauce is fiery. The peppers have an exotic, fruity aroma that makes the heat more enticing; despite the intensity, you’ll be tempted to taste a spoonful just to enjoy the flavor.
P.S. I saved a jar of this sauce during Hurricane Sandy by storing it at a friend’s house. When the power returned I still had this condiment, while many others had to be discarded.
Nutrition analysis per serving (about 1 Tbsp, yields ~48): Calories 30, Total Fat 0g, Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 30mg, Total Carbohydrate 6g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 4g, Protein 2g, Vitamin A 40%, Vitamin C 10%
Red Hot Homemade Ghost Chile Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 ghost chiles
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
- 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes pureed
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves cut in half
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon organic sugar
Instructions
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Wearing gloves, remove stems and seeds from ghost chiles.
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Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
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Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.
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Store in a glass jar or plastic container in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Frieda’s. Use caution when handling and tasting — this sauce is very hot. Gloves and eye protection are recommended when working with ghost chiles.
If you enjoy this ghost chile hot sauce, you may also like:
Ghost Chile Carrot Hot Sauce
Fresh Thai Chili Garlic Sauce
Thai Chili Pepper Sauces (3 Ways)
Szechwan Hot Chili Oil
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