Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water is a very traditional Hawaiian condiment used similar to hot sauce.
The flavorful hot pepper water is made with Hawaiian sea salt, garlic, vinegar, Hawaiian chili peppers, and water.
It is easy to make and perfect for those who love to eat hot foods!
Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water- What Is it?
Hawaiian chili pepper water is a condiment, similar to hot sauce, only with much less vinegar and much more water.
It is spicy, garlicky, and salty. You drizzle it on anything you would a hot sauce from rice, fish, chicken, eggs, stews, vegetables.
The water consistency makes the sauce very runny, but if you like garlic and hot food, you become immediately hooked.
Tips for making Chili Pepper Water
Here are some tips for making Hawaiian Chili Pepper water.
- Hawaiian sea salt is a MUST! It is NOT the same with regular salt.
- In Hawaii, they use Hawaiian chili peppers. I can't source them here, so I substituted Thai chili peppers. They worked great.
- Some Hawaiians use ginger, some don't. It is totally up to you to use the ginger in the recipe. My sister in law does not, so I don't.
- Some recipes put a splash of soy sauce, sriracha, or pineapple juice to change it up. I kept it more traditional. You can add either of those in for a different flavor.
- Last, some recipes use rice vinegar (miran) instead of white vinegar. I made mine with white vinegar, but I am going to try the rice vinegar is good too.
How long will chili pepper last?
If you store the chili pepper in the refrigerator in an air tight container it will last several months.
However, in my home it will only last a couple of weeks at the most because we eat it on everything!
About the Recipe
Years ago, my brother Uriah, moved to Hawaii to work at an animal sanctuary to help with injured birds.
His stay was supposed to be temporary... however one year has since then turned into many years.
Shortly after moving to Hawaii, he met a very sweet girl named Dee that he began dating. They fell in love and were married.
I was lucky enough to attend their wedding in O'hau. I was able to see and experience first hand why everyone falls in love with Hawaii.
I love the culture, the food, the scenery....It is a magical place.
Every year for Christmas, they send my family a Hawaiian care package of delicious Hawaiian treats such as macadamia nuts, chocolates, plum wine, and cashews.
Dee asked if I wanted anything special this year and I told her to send me Hawaiian Hot Sauce.
She explained that Hawaiians really doesn't use hot sauce, instead they use something called "pepper water."
I was immediately like, "What is Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water?"
Dee sent me a homemade bottle that she made herself. I fell in love with it.
The hot and spicy flavors were so delicious.
I went through that bottle in less than a week. I decided to make a huge batch for me with enough to share with my friends.
I had saved a bunch of little bottles and filled those bottles up. I gave out bottles to my foodie friends that accepted them graciously.
If you store the chili pepper in the refrigerator in an air tight container it will last several months.
However, in my home it will only last a couple of weeks at the most because we eat it on everything!
If you like this recipe, check out: Hot Jalapeno Relish, Hot Pepper Jelly, and Jalapeño Chimichurri Sauce.
Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoons Hawaiian Sea Salt
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 6 Hawaiian chili peppers or more if you want it hotter
Instructions
- Finely chop 3 garlic and 6 or more peppers.4 garlic cloves, 6 Hawaiian chili peppers
- Add garlic, peppers, 1 ½ teaspoon Hawaiian sea salt, 2 ounces vinegar, 12 ounces water to a pot. Cook to a boil. Boil one minute.1 ½ teaspoons Hawaiian Sea Salt, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 2 cups water
- Remove from heat. Cool mixture, then refrigerate. Let stand 2 to 3 days before using. Store up to 6 months in refrigerator.
Notes
- We like our chili pepper water on the hotter side. If you like yours mild, use 3 to 4 peppers. If you like yours even hotter.... add more! If I am making a bottle just for me, I add 10 because I love spicy food.
- If you live outside of Hawaii and do not have access to Hawaiian Chili Peppers, Thai peppers make a great substitute.
