Go to any diner, Hawaiian food restaurant, or plate lunch stand in Hawaii,
and along with the ketchup, mustard, shoyu (soy sauce), and Worcestershire sauce you'll also find chili pepper water.
Not "sauce," "water." You'll recognize it by it's pinkish-orange-y hue, and the whole chilis and
sliced garlic suspended in it.Like a distant island cousin of Crystal or Tabasco sauce, chili pepper water is a fiery brine used in Hawaii to add a spicy kick to rice, eggs, spaghetti, fried foods, Bloody Marys—just about anything. In fact, this weekend I made some beef stew and rice for dinner, and it was crying out for a splash or three of chili pepper water to go with it.
You can make chili pepper water a lot easier than you can make your own Tabasco or Sriracha sauce, and I think it's equally delicious. In Hawaii chili pepper water is made with plump, wrinkly, Hawaiian chili peppers. The closest approximation for those outside of the islands would be small, red Thai chilies or any Asian red chili pepper. (Don't use jalapeños or serranos.).
Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water
Once made, let sit over night to develop flavors. Keep refrigerated.
8-10 Hawaiian red chili peppers
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 garlic clove, sliced
2 quarter-sized slices fresh ginger, bruised (optional)
1-2 teaspoons sea or kosher salt
2 cups hot water (not boiling)
Place all ingredients into a slightly larger than pint-sized glass jar or bottle. Pour hot water over. Cap when cooled and store in refrigerator.
[photo: Hawaiian Chili Peppers]
Use as you food any hot sauce.
3-04-2008 @4:51PM Maize Ruest said... Does anyone know the receipe for Chili pepper, raw honey and lemon juice fast? HELP! I cannot find it anywhere.
Thank you. Maize
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3-22-2008 @2:35AM Malena Kea said... I am looking for dried Hawaiian chili peppers. I am on the Island of Hawaii and would like to use them as an ingredient in cheese. Also, how do I see replys because I know this question was asked before and probably answered.
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5-02-2008 @3:59AM craig from Oahu said... Substitute fresh piquins, bird's eye, or the small Thai prik kee nu chiles.
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3-05-2006 @6:46PM BlueCollar Traveler said... My wife and I have been to Hawai`i several times. We were just on Maui a year ago staying in Hana and I had my first try of the pepper water. There were two guys selling plate lunches at the side of the road just inside Hana town limits. We stopped and picked up some good eats and they talked me into trying some.
I have seen it many times but never tried it. I finally did and truly enjoyed it. I liked it so much that I stopped in Hasagawa's General Store in Hana and bought a bottle to take home.
Now I sprinkle it on many of my dishes to give it an extra kick.
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3-22-2006 @10:32PM Courtney said... I would like to know if you can get Hawaiian chili pepper plants anywhere on the mainland.
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4-26-2009 @2:58AM Van Doren said... The last sentence in this article, 'Use as you food..' obviously is a mistake. The writer meant to say: 'Use as you would...'
Aloha from the Big Island, Hilo side,
Mark Van Doren
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11-15-2006 @8:57AM Alex said... I would like to know if you can get Hawaiian chili pepper plants anywhere on the mainland.
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12-04-2006 @3:55PM Kat said... I am looking for dried Hawaiian chili peppers. My family comes from Oahu. Can you please let me know where or how I can purchase them.
Thank you
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12-06-2007 @6:35PM tish gilmore said... Where can I buy the dried Hawaiian chilis?
I live in Irvine Ca. Is there another name for them here? Thanks
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