Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water
by Sara Stover
“Shoyu, sugar, ginger, garlic, chili pepper water!”
That’s the song I’m singing as I make homemade Hawaiian chili pepper water. Hawaii’s take on hot sauce, it’s a recipe that starts with fresh, Hawaiian chili peppers 🌶 Fortunately, there is a whole pepper bush growing out of the lava rocks on our property, full of tiny peppers, as hot as lava, just waiting to be picked!
It’s taken me about two years, but I’m finally happy with the last few batches of chili pepper water I’ve made. I’ve experimented with a few different recipes and fused them together to come up with the recipe below. And I learned a few things along the way. Like, do NOT slice chili peppers with your bare hands! I made that mistake and paid the price: My hands were on fire for about three hours afterward. And some bizarre combination of milk and olive oil finally calmed the burn, but only slightly.
My husband and I also live in a small ohana (picture a dorm room designed by Four Seasons, with a bathroom and a kitchenette a few feet from the bed) so boiling all the ingredients in a saucepan over our double burner, electric hotplate (because we don’t have a traditional oven with a stovetop) has resulted in spicy fumes that burned our eyes and made us cough violently. We had no choice but to improvise. As such, I now add all the ingredients in glass jars and pour water over everything after boiling it in the tea kettle.
The result is delicious, Hawaiian chili pepper water that tastes great sprinkled over a breakfast of fried Portuguese sausage, scrambles eggs, and rice - So ono! Enjoy!
Ingredients
8 oz. water (1 cup)
2 oz. white vinegar (1/4 cup)
1 tsp. Hawaiian rock sea salt, ‘alaea salt, or kosher salt
Hawaiian chili peppers, sliced (from 3-20, or as many as you can fit)
2 cloves garlic sliced
2-3 fresh ginger slices
Splash of soy sauce and/or Worcestershire sauce if desired
Instructions
Boil the water in a tea kettle on the stovetop.
While the water is boiling, add the remaining ingredients to a clean, sterilized glass jar or bottle.
Remove the tea kettle from the heat.
Cover bottle securely with lid and let it sit for 2 days in a cool place before using. Store in refrigerator.
Tip: Wear disposable chef gloves when you’re cutting the chili peppers! Also, the longer the chili pepper water sits, the more the peppers, garlic, and other flavors will infuse the water/vinegar mixture.
Why did the garlic turn BLUE? If your garlic turns blue during the process of making chili pepper water, don’t be alarmed! There’s a reason for this mysterious change in shade: The change is the result of a reaction between enzymes and sulfur-containing amino acids found in garlic (the enzymes that are responsible for garlic’s flavor). When mild acid activates these enzymes, blue and green pigments are produced.
This is perfectly normal and it’s safe to consume the infused water - Neither the water nor the garlic will taste any different.
