If you’re like me and enjoy hot sauce, you’ll love this recipe for homemade Chili Sauce / Hot Sauce (Tuong Ot). Warning: this Chili Sauce is next-level hot because it’s made with Ghost Peppers (also called Bhut Jolokia). These chili peppers are insanely spicy and delicious if you can take the heat. (See below for other chili pepper substitutes.) My Chili Sauce recipe does not have a lot of vinegar like some hot sauces. It’s just a tad tart with a hint of sweetness. Made with all fresh ingredients, the Chili Sauce has a beautiful all-natural red color, smooth consistency and hearty thickness. Skip the store-bought stuff and give this homemade sauce recipe a try!
Notes on the Chili Sauce / Hot Sauce (Tuong Ot) Recipe, Tips and Tricks
I am using homegrown Ghost Peppers and they are extremely spicy. If you’d prefer something less spicy, substitute with habanero, Thai chili, serrano, jalapeno or any chili pepper you like.
When cutting the peppers, use food prep gloves to avoid touching the peppers directly as they may burn your skin. Also be really careful not to touch your face, especially your eyes or your nose when handling the cut peppers.
Did you know a pepper’s spiciness is concentrated in the seeds? Remove the seeds to make the Chili Sauce less spicy but don’t throw out all the seeds. Reserve some and add to the peppers during the cooking process if it’s not spicy enough.
I use red bell peppers to bulk up the sauce as Ghost Peppers alone would probably be so spicy it would be inedible. Optionally, use tomatoes or even a combination of red bell peppers and tomatoes. I used a ratio of 8 ounces non-spicy peppers to 1 ounce chili peppers.
During the pureeing process, add more water if you’d like the sauce less thick. Also at this time, season to taste by adding more salt, sugar or vinegar if needed.
I like to pass the Chili Sauce through a fine mesh strainer for a smooth consistency, similar to Sriracha. If you prefer a chunkier sauce, you can skip this step.
Watch the video for instructions.
Chili Sauce / Hot Sauce / Tuong Ot
Chili Sauce / Hot Sauce / Tuong Ot
If you're like me and enjoy hot sauce, you'll love this recipe for homemade Chili Sauce / Hot Sauce (Tuong Ot). Warning: this Chili Sauce is next-level hot because it's made with Ghost Peppers (also called Bhut Jolokia). These chili peppers are insanely spicy and delicious if you can take the heat. (See below for other pepper substitutes.) My Chili Sauce recipe does not have a lot of vinegar like some hot sauces. It's just a tad tart with a hint of sweetness. Made with all fresh ingredients, this Chili Sauce has a beautiful all-natural red color, smooth consistency and hearty thickness. Skip the store-bought stuff and give this homemade sauce recipe a try!
Ingredients
- 1 large red bell pepper , about 8 ounces
- 2 ghost peppers or your choice of chili peppers , about 1 oz
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
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Remove the core and seeds from the red bell pepper and discard. Chop the red bell pepper. Transfer into a medium saucepan.
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Wear food prep gloves for this step: Cut off any stems from the ghost peppers. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Chop the ghost peppers. Transfer into the saucepan with the red bell peppers.
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Smash the garlic cloves and then finely dice. Add to the peppers.
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Add water, white vinegar, sugar and salt to the peppers and garlic in the saucepan. Combine together.
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Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over Medium High heat. When it comes to a boil, give everything a quick stir. Cover again and cook on Low heat until the peppers are soft, approximately 8-10 minutes. Let cool on the stove for 5 minutes.
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Transfer the cooked peppers into a blender. Blend on High speed until the mixture is smooth, approximately 20-30 seconds.
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Taste the sauce. Add more water or vinegar, sugar or salt if desired. Blend again for 10 seconds.
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Transfer into a fine mesh strainer. Press on the mixture using a spatula to pass it through the strainer. Discard the remaining solids. Stir the sauce together.
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Transfer the sauce into small jars. Cover tightly with lids and refrigerate until ready to enjoy.
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The Chili Sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Recipe Video
Notes, Tips & Tricks
- Ghost Peppers and they are extremely spicy. If you'd prefer something less spicy, substitute with habanero, Thai chili, serrano, jalapeno or any chili pepper you like.
- When cutting the peppers, use food prep gloves to avoid touching the peppers directly as they may burn your skin. Also be really careful not to touch your face, especially your eyes or your nose when handling the cut peppers.
- During the pureeing process, add more water if desired to make the sauce less thick. Also at this time, season to taste by adding more salt, sugar or vinegar if needed.
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Yikes, ghost peppers are scary! I’ve been eating spicy food for a few years now (my mom can not handle anything spicy, she think Mild Old ElPaso taco seasoning is spicy) but I don’t think I could handle the heat!
Love your site so much! I really enjoy reading your posts and recipes, I love Vietnamese food. It’s my favourite type of cuisine! Unfortunately, because I live in Northern Ontario (about 4 hours from Toronto) there are no Vietnamese restaurants here. So if I want Vietnamese food I have to cook it, which of course is fun and awesome, it’s not as good as the real thing! So thank you for your blog, I appreciate the amazing recipes you share!
Hi Andrea,
Lol…ghost peppers are scary hot and I hope you give them a try someday. 🙂 I am glad to hear you’re enjoying my posts and recipes and I hope they inspire you to make some awesome Vietnamese dishes. Homemade Vietnamese food is healthier and way better than the restaurants as they’re made with love. I’ll bet your dishes turn out amazing! Thanks for your support and kind words. Happy Cooking!