Tabasco sauce - chile de arbol hot sauce

I'm so happy to have found such a great recipe. It is a perfect challenge for a weekend afternoon; it requires some time, a moderate amount of effort, and is just a lot of fun to fool with ingredients that are less than everyday.

Though it takes a little while start to finish, i promise that 80% of the time is spend rolling and splitting chiles, which doesn't take much effort and can be pretty fun.


Coupled with that the fact that this hot sauce lasts indefinitely in the refrigerator, this might be a good experiment for personal use or, alternately, a perfect birthday present for a friend (whom we all have) who can't eat without a bottle of hot sauce nearby.

Here, on the left is traditional tapatio sauce while the one on the right is the homemade tabasco. I will say that this tastes more like tabasco than tapatio, i just didn't have red tabasco in the house to compare it with. note, though, the similar consistencies. I love when i get at least one thing right.


Though it takes about an hour just to de-seed the chiles, I do promise that this requires effort in the form of occupied indifference - that is to say that the chile rolling and extracting is best while watching an hour-long law and order or something, given that it is mostly mindless work. This is where the mimosa comes in, in case you were looking for a cue.
example:

I will caution you to not touch any eyes, nose, or any other body parts, even an hour after you handle the chiles. fair warning.
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1 1/4 oz dried chiles de arbol (appx. 50-60 mixed-sized)
1 1/2 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 Tbsp shelled pumpkinseeds (pepitas)
1/4 tsp cumin seeds (or a generous 1/4 tsp ground)
4 large allspice berries (or 1/8 tsp ground)
2 cloves (or big pinch ground)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
2 lg cloves garlic, peeled and roughly clopped
3/4 c cider vinegar
1 mimosa, prepared


Chiles and seeds: stem the chiles, then roll then roll them between your thumb and fingers, pressing gently to loosen the seeds inside. Break in half, shake out as many seeds as possible, then place in a blender jar.
(i developed a method of rolling briefly, splitting in half, and rolling seeds out for a few seconds into a bowl for this step. just experiment with it and see what works)

(leftover, shaken-out seeds)
(arbol chiles, after de-stemming and -seeding)

Assembling the paste: Heat an ungreased skillet over medium-low. Measure in the sesame seeds and stir for several minutes as they brown and pop; scoop into the blender jar. Add the pumpkinseeds to the skillet. When the first one pops, stir constantly for several minutes, until all are golden and have popped up into a round shape.



Blending the sauce: Pulverize the cumin, allspice and cloves in a mortar or spice grinder, then add to the blender jar along with the oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar. Blend for several minutes, until the mixture is orange-red and feels quite smooth when a drop is rubbed between your fingers.



Straining and ripening the sauce: Strain through a mesh sieve or strainer, working the solids back and forth and pressing them firmly; there will be a fair amount of chile seeds, skins, sesame hulls, and other debris to discard, but be careful that there is nothing liquid trapped within them.
Stir in 3/4 cup water, then pour into a bottle, cover and let stand for 24 hours before serving.

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