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.
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