“This was the beginning of our home-made hot sauce journey. One day Sarah said, ‘You know what? I could probably make a hot sauce that would go perfectly with our flavours . . .’ Habanero was our favourite sauce, and we wanted to start HOT so that one came first. But how hot? How thick? We made a batch, tweaked it, made another, tweaked it . . . And people loved it!”

MAKES APPROX 300ml

60g orange capsicum, stalks removed and de-seeded

100g habaneros (red or orange), stalks removed (leave seeds in)

4 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp fresh orange juice

1 tsp crushed fresh ginger

2 tbsp tomato pulp (we use Mutti)

¼ tsp salt

pinch ground white pepper

2 tsp white sugar

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 tsp liquid honey

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place capsicum and habaneros in an oven tray in a single layer and roast for 30–45 minutes, until skin has started to turn dark. Remove from oven, transfer to a sealable plastic bag and leave in the sealed bag for about
10 minutes. The heat trapped in the bag will soften the capsicums/chillies so you can remove the skin more easily.

Remove the blackened skin. Place capsicum/chilli flesh in a large pot, add all remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Let it bubble for about 5 minutes, until all ingredients have softened enough that you can blitz it with a stick wand. Cool, then transfer to an airtight container. Will keep for at least a month in the fridge.

Note - Make sure you cook any hot sauce in a well-ventilated space. It’s actually water vapour that makes the chilli airborne. Pro tip: when cooking or washing up, breathe through your nose and take shallow breaths. Otherwise you’ll find yourself with more than a tickle in the back of the throat!

Read Otis and Sarah’s Kitchen Confessional

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