Pique Sauce (Puerto Rican Hot Sauce)

Ingredients

• 12 fresh green jalapeño peppers (scored (cut halfway through))
• 2 cup white vinegar (for soaking peppers)
• 15 dried chiles de árbol (stems removed)
• 6 clove garlic (peeled and left whole)
• 2 tbsp onion (chopped)
• 0.5 cup carrots (chopped)
• 0.25 cup rice vinegar
• 0.25 cup salt (adjust to taste; some users suggest reducing by half)
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 serrano chile (per bottle, stem removed, for garnish and soaking)

Steps

1. 1

   Remove the stems from the jalapeño peppers and cut halfway through the peppers, leaving them whole.

2. 2

   Place the white vinegar in a large measuring cup or bowl and add the scored jalapeño peppers.

3. 3

   Cover and refrigerate the vinegar and peppers for 12 to 48 hours to infuse the vinegar with heat.

4. 4

   After soaking, discard the jalapeño peppers or set them aside for another use, reserving the infused vinegar.

5. 5

   In a medium pot, combine the dried chiles de árbol, whole garlic cloves, chopped onion, and chopped carrots.

6. 6

   Add a few cups of water to the pot until the vegetables are completely covered.

7. 7

   Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the carrots have softened.

8. 8

   Pour the vegetables through a fine-mesh strainer, reserving the cooking liquid in a separate container.

9. 9

   Transfer the cooked vegetables to a blender.

10. 10

    Add the infused white vinegar, the rice vinegar, 1 cup of the reserved vegetable cooking liquid, the salt, and the black pepper to the blender.

11. 11

    Process the mixture until it is completely smooth and well blended.

12. 12

    Taste the sauce and add more rice vinegar or cooking water if needed to reach your desired level of acidity and consistency.

13. 13

    Pour the pique sauce into bottles for storage.

14. 14

    Add one whole serrano chile (stem removed) to each bottle to soak and garnish.

Notes

Storage: Keep refrigerated; the sauce lasts for weeks or even months. The flavor improves after a few days of resting in the bottle. Heat Adjustment: To make it milder, remove seeds and ribs from the jalapeños and dried chiles before use, or reduce the soaking time in the vinegar. For more heat, some users suggest adding habaneros to the soaking vinegar.

Nutrition per serving

• condiment
• hot sauce
• spicy
• vegan
• gluten-free
• puerto rican
• no-cook finish