Bajan pepper sauce

Ingredients

Peppers

• 12to 20 scotch bonnet peppers, stems removed

Base

• 1large onion, chopped
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 3 tbspprepared yellow mustard
• 1 tspground turmeric

Also

• 250 mlwhite vinegar
• 1 tbspsugar
• 1 tbspsalt
• 1 tspground allspice
• ½ tspground cloves
• 1 tbspvegetable oil

Sometimes

• 1 tbspgrated ginger
• a few thyme sprigs
• 1 tbsplime juice

To serve

• on flying fish, macaroni pie, pudding and souse, and everything else

Directions

1. Leave them in for the full effect, which is what a Bajan cook would do. Use ordinary prepared yellow mustard, the mild kind, rather than Dijon or wholegrain. It provides the sharpness that balances the heat, and it acidifies the sauce so it keeps.
2. Use plain white vinegar rather than a mild one, since the acidity matters for preservation. Do not reduce the vinegar to make a milder sauce, since that shortens how long it keeps.
3. Blend the peppers, onion, garlic and any ginger with the vinegar until smooth. Blend it thoroughly, since a grainy sauce is unpleasant and does not pour properly. Add the mustard, turmeric, sugar, salt and spices and blend again.
4. Simmer the blended sauce gently in a little oil for eight to ten minutes. Cooking takes the raw edge off the onion and garlic and helps the sauce keep considerably longer.
5. Stir it as it cooks, since it catches readily. It should be pourable but thick enough to cling, roughly like a thin ketchup. Taste it carefully, using a very small amount on a spoon. It should be hot first, then sharply sour, then tangy from the mustard, with the sweetness barely noticeable.
6. Adjust with more vinegar for sharpness or a little more sugar to round it. Pour it into clean, dry, sterilised bottles while still hot. Sterilise the bottles by boiling them or running them through a hot dishwasher cycle.
7. Seal the bottles and let them cool. It keeps several months refrigerated once opened, and the acidity is what preserves it. Use a clean dry spoon or pour from the bottle, and never dip anything used into it. Serve it in a small bottle or dish on the table, and warn anyone who has not met it before.

Technique

• Mustard is what distinguishes it from other Caribbean pepper sauces.
• The white pith inside the peppers carries most of the heat.
• The vinegar is what preserves it, so do not reduce it.

Substitutions

• Habanero in place of scotch bonnet, which is close.
• Any mild prepared yellow mustard.

Variations

• Made raw and refrigerated, which is fresher.
• With ginger and thyme, which some households add.
• Made milder, with the seeds and pith removed.

History

Scotch bonnet peppers blended with mustard and vinegar, giving a yellow sauce that sits on every table on the island.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bajan pepper sauce?

Bajan pepper sauce is a sauce & condiment from Barbados: mustard-scotch bonnet hot sauce spooned on everything. Scotch bonnet peppers blended with mustard and vinegar, giving a yellow sauce that sits on every table on the island.

How long does Bajan pepper sauce take to make?

Bajan pepper sauce takes 20 min of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 500 ml. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Bajan pepper sauce?

Yes, within limits. Habanero in place of scotch bonnet, which is close. Any mild prepared yellow mustard.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bajan pepper sauce?

Leave them in for the full effect, which is what a Bajan cook would do. Use ordinary prepared yellow mustard, the mild kind, rather than Dijon or wholegrain. It provides the sharpness that balances the heat, and it acidifies the sauce so it keeps.