Moruga scorpion pepper sauce

Ingredients

The chillies

• 100 gMoruga scorpion peppers
• stems removed
• or fewer, to taste
• 2yellow bell peppers
• to bulk and mellow

The base

• 1onion, chopped
• 8garlic cloves
• 3cm ginger, peeled
• 1carrot, chopped
• 2 tablespoonschadon beni
• culantro, or coriander

The liquid

• 150 mlwhite vinegar
• juice of 2 limes
• 3 tablespoonsmustard
• 2 tablespoonsoil
• 1 tablespoonsugar
• 2 teaspoonssalt

Protective equipment

• disposable gloves
• eye protection
• an open window or extractor

Directions

1. Wash hands with soap and oil afterwards. Wash the board, knife and blender thoroughly. Use an extractor fan if you have one. Work outside if that is possible. Do not lean over the blender when you open it. Let it settle before lifting the lid. Start with far less than you think. You cannot take it back out again.
2. Use fewer chillies if you are unsure. Even a quarter of the quantity is very hot. Put on the disposable gloves first. Put on your eye protection as well. Do not go back for gloves mid-task. Pull the stems off the chillies. It also takes considerable time. Leave the membrane in for full heat. Cut it out for a milder sauce. Cut all the bell peppers in half.
3. Remove the seeds and the white membrane. Chop them all up quite roughly. Chop the whole onion up roughly. Peel all of the garlic cloves. Peel and chop up all the ginger. Chop the whole carrot up roughly. Heat the oil in a heavy deep pan. Add the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook them for about eight minutes. Add the carrot and bell peppers.
4. Cook them for ten more minutes. Adding the chillies is done carefully. Cook them for two minutes only. Keep the window open throughout. Do not lean over the pan at all. Take the pan right off the heat. Let it cool for ten full minutes. Hot liquid in a blender builds pressure.
5. Let it cool before blending it. Put everything into a blender. Add the vinegar and lime juice. Add the mustard, sugar and salt. Add all of the chopped chadon beni. Hold it down with a folded cloth. Hold it down through the whole blending. Blending it takes about a minute. Blend it until entirely smooth. Give it a good full minute of it.
6. Add more vinegar if it is too thick. Opening it up takes real care. Let the blender stand for a minute. Turn your face well away from it. Lift the lid slowly and step back. Let it disperse before you lean in. Return all the sauce to the pan.
7. Simmer it for about ten minutes. It helps the sauce keep longer. Taste it with the tip of a teaspoon. Take the smallest amount you can. Have milk ready before you taste. Add more vinegar if it is too thick. Add more salt if it tastes flat. Add more sugar to round the edges. Let the sauce cool completely. Pour it into clean dry bottles.
8. Use bottles with a small opening. A wide jar makes it too easy to overdo. Keep it in the refrigerator always. It keeps several months that way. Put a drop or two on the side of a plate. Let people add it in themselves. It keeps for months refrigerated.

Technique

• This chilli was measured above 1.2 million Scoville units by New Mexico State University in 2012 — many times hotter than a scotch bonnet and hundreds of times a jalapeño. Wear disposable gloves and eye protection throughout, never touch your face, open a window before you start, and wash hands, board, knife and blender thoroughly. Blending releases capsaicin into the air that irritates eyes, nose and throat badly, so let it settle and turn your face away before lifting the lid.
• Extreme chilli consumption carries documented risks: eating challenges have caused oesophageal rupture from violent vomiting and a severe sudden headache syndrome. The risk lies in eating large amounts at once, not in a drop used as seasoning — this is a condiment used in drops rather than spoonfuls. Water does not help at all, since capsaicin is not water soluble; milk works because casein binds to it and lifts it away, and full fat works better than skimmed.
• Label the bottle clearly and prominently every time, since an unlabelled bottle looks like any other sauce and someone may pour it out generously. Use a bottle with a small opening for the same reason. Do not give it to children, and anyone with stomach, gut or heart problems should avoid it.

Substitutions

• Bell peppers bulk the sauce and add volume without heat, which makes it usable rather than punishing.
• Use a quarter of the chillies if unsure — it will still be very hot, and there is no shame in making it milder.

Variations

• The pale inner membrane holds most of the heat rather than the seeds; cutting it out gives a milder sauce.
• Carrot adds sweetness and body and thickens the sauce naturally, as it does across Caribbean pepper sauces.
• Other cultivars have exceeded it since 2013, which does not make this one mild.

History

New Mexico State University measured the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion above 1.2 million Scoville units in 2012, then the hottest chilli recorded.

Frequently asked questions

What is Moruga scorpion pepper sauce?

Moruga scorpion pepper sauce is a sauce & condiment from Trinidad and Tobago: blistering yellow sauce from one of the world’s hottest chillies. New Mexico State University measured the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion above 1.2 million Scoville units in 2012, then the hottest chilli recorded.

How long does Moruga scorpion pepper sauce take to make?

Moruga scorpion pepper sauce takes 30 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 400 ml. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Moruga scorpion pepper sauce?

Yes, within limits. Bell peppers bulk the sauce and add volume without heat, which makes it usable rather than punishing. Use a quarter of the chillies if unsure — it will still be very hot, and there is no shame in making it milder.

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

Wash hands with soap and oil afterwards. Wash the board, knife and blender thoroughly. Use an extractor fan if you have one. Work outside if that is possible. Do not lean over the blender when you open it. Let it settle before lifting the lid. Start with far less than you think. You cannot take it back out again.