Raw Fermented Sriracha - Thai Chili Sauce

Did you know that eating capsaicin-containing foods like chili sauce releases endorphins? That means it makes you happy! More specifically, chilli peppers have been implicated as possibly relieving pain, suppressing appetite (thus aiding weight loss), and aiding the prevention of prostate cancer.

I wrote before about making a quick cooked Sriracha-style sauce. It is tasty, but lacks the probiotic benefits and complex flavor of a naturally fermented chili sauce. Though this fermented condiment can ripen for over two weeks, the actual man-hours is less than or equal to that of the "quick" cooked sauce that can be prepared in a day or two.

Bottled sriracha (pickles in background)

I'm a little obsessed with this sauce. I open it up just to smell it and bask in it's beauty. My sriracha is intensely red. It has a deep warm flavor without the eye-watering sharpness of its raw ingredients. The taste is complex, arriving in waves of fruity heat with a sense of savory indulgence.

First I'll tell you how I make it, then I'll tell you how I use it.

Focaccia Hamentashen

I've been wanting to make these for Purim for the past couple years, but something always comes up. Today I finally tested my concept, and I intend to put a couple in each Purim basket for mishloach manot/shalach manos I give my friends and neighbors. In Hebrew - פוקצ'ה אוזני המן

Start with your favorite pizza or focaccia dough recipe. I used my dad's pizza dough recipe. I think this one from Anne Burrell also looks good. The following proportions will make 8 hamentashen (enough for a test batch or family appetizer):

Dough:

• 3/4 tsp yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water (NOT hot)
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 egg (optional)
• 2 cups flour (I used whole wheat for this test, but I plan to use all-purpose for the mishloah manot.)
• 1 tsp salt

Roasted Pepper and Olive Dip PLUS Purim Baskets

One of the mitzvot (commandments) of the Jewish Holiday of Purim is to give gifts of food (at least two types of food) called "mishloach manot" or "Shalach Manos."  There is an idea that it should be ready to eat food that can be enjoyed for the festive Purim meal. However, the most popular gifts are candy and cookies. I just moved my oven and fridge into my new kitchen yesterday (I'll post details of my kitchen renovation on Sunday.) so I had a last minute idea to make dips and give them with a pack of crackers. I also made a few packages of nonperishable packages for unexpected visitors, because the dips didn't stretch as far as I expected.

Each package had three of the following:
- Roasted chickpeas (recipe to come)
- Eggplant & Tehina/tehini
- Avocado salad with tomatoes and garlic
- Roasted bell pepper dip with olives and roasted garlic (instructions below)


1.Wash bell peppers and take excess paper off garlic.  Cut and seed peppers if desired. Alternatively, you can roast them whole, flip them half way through and seed them when you peel them.

2. Roast until the peppers are very soft and the tops are black.

3. Remove skin when they are cool enough to handle and squeeze a few cloves of garlic out of the skin.


4. Hand chop a little bit of the peppers and a few olives to top the dip.