Curried Roasted Carrot Habanero Hot Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced evenly
• 1/2 pound yellow onions
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (I mixed yellow and brown)
• 3 cardamom pods, seeds only
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 16 thai chilies, chopped finely (these were very tiny, less than 1” if using longer birdseye
• 2 Korean green chilies, chopped finely
• 1 habanero chilies, chopped finely (you can use less or more as you like)
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 °. Mix carrots, onions and garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper on a sheet pan and roast for 20 minutes until tender. Cool.
2. Put the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, cardamom seeds, fennel seeds in a dry, cold heavy bottomed frying pan (I use cast iron.). Turn on heat to medium and toast, stirring constantly until they smell, about 2-3 minutes. Add the turmeric and cinnamon powder just as you turn it off.
3. Place carrot-onion mixture, remaining ingredients and toasted spices in a medium sized saucepan and carefully puree with a hand blender. Alternatively, you can put the mixture in a food processor, fitted with the steel knife or a blender to puree it.
4. Place saucepan on the stove, over medium heat and cook sauce until thickened, stirring frequently. Adjust seasoning. Store mixture in a sterilized glass jar and keep in the refrigerator.

Notes

This sauce is thick. If you prefer a runnier sauce add more vinegar but adjust the amount of brown sugar as well.