Lemon Pepper Koji Hot Sauce

Lemon Pepper Koji Hot Sauce

The viral koji demon sauce - now YOU can make it!

Koji's enzymes breakdown capsaicin, leading to a ferment that allows the flavor of the pepper to shine while cutting out most of the heat. The longer you ferment, the stronger this effect becomes. In addition, the enzymatic breakdown creates more simple sugars from the larger carbohydrates in the peppers and peels - and this means more food for the lactobacillus bacteria that creates all those fermented flavors we know and love. More flavor in less time - all through the power of MOLD.

NOTE: All ferments, by nature, will be completely unique. And that's a beautiful thing! Ferment times are relative to ambient temperature, humidity, and freshness of ingredients - be your own food scientist and don't be afraid to experiment with times, temps, and ingredient ratios! Don't have shallots? Use red onion! If you don't have poblanos, use a green bell pepper! The world (and kitchen) is your oyster.

Prep Time: 0.5 hours
Ferment Time: 1-2 weeks (or as long as you like!)

Ingredients and Estimated Measurements:

  • 25g Lethal Death chilies (lemon variant)
  • 20g lemon peel
  • 4g ground black pepper
  • 10g long grain koji
  • 150g water
  • 6.5g salt
Back to blog

Step by Step Guide

  • 1. Koji

    Long grain koji will yield a more savory finished sauce, but any koji will work for this recipe.

    GET KOJI HERE 

  • 2. Ratios

    5 parts veggies : 1 part koji
    Ex: 500g veggies : 100g koji
    Take note of the weight of all listed ingredients before proceeding.

  • 3. Water

    Tare your scale and pour enough water to fully submerge all ingredients. Take note of the weight of the water. The amount of water you use will depend on the container you're fermenting in.

  • 4. Salt

    Take the weight of the veggies, koji, and water, and calculate 3% of that total weight to get the amount of salt you need. To get 3%, simply multiply the total weight of ingredients and water by 0.03.
    Ex: 1000g ingredients + water * 0.03 = 30g salt.

  • 5. Time and Temperature

    To develop noticeable flavor without blending the mixture, ferment your shio koji for at least a week at room temperature. If you like how it tastes, stop! If you're curious, keep going.

  • 6. Weighing and Burping

    Burping is key. Koji breaks down the carbohydrates in veggies and rice to create simple sugars, and this starts a feeding frenzy for the bacteria that drive most of the fermentation (i.e. lactobacillus). Burp your jars often - the pressure builds up fast!

    Keeping things submerged is important for 2 main reasons:
    1) it mitigates contamination risk
    2) all ingredients ferment evenly
    For the weights I recommend, click below:

    VIEW ALL EQUIPMENT 

WRITE THIS DOWN

Notes and Key Reminders

  1. This one's gonna be a really active ferment. And it will continue to ferment after bottling, so keep an eye out so it doesn't become a pepper bomb!
  2. If you want to cut the activity of the ferment, I recommend adding a couple teaspoons of fresh lemon juice - this will change the flavor slightly, but at least it's in theme with the rest of the other flavors.
  3. I found that this sauce was best used in addition to other sauce, like mayo. It's got a super lemon-y kick and the fattiness of the mayo compliments the acidity very well.

JOIN US

Show off your work!

Did you try this recipe? We want to see it! Celebrate your achievement, ask for advice, and meet other fermenters by joining the Koji Connect Discord!

Join