- 1 cup boiling water
- 20 dried red Thai or cayenne chiles, stems removed
- ¼ cup thinly sliced shallots or red onion
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt
- 6 medium-size cloves garlic
- Pour the boiling water over the chiles in a small bowl, and set aside until the chiles have softened and the water has turned light reddish-orange, 1 to 2 hours. (I have certainly forgotten it and left it overnight, and everything has worked just fine.)
- Drain the chiles, reserving ¼ cup of the liquid.
- Pour the reserved liquid into a blender jar, and then add the chiles and all the remaining ingredients. Puree, scraping the inside of the jar as needed, until it forms a smooth, orange-red, pulpy paste.
- Transfer this knock-your-socks-off-hot sauce to a tightly sealed container and refrigerate it for up to 5 days, or freeze it for up to 1 month.