i finally found some time to catch up on posts from way back when. in january when it snowed and i was home-bound for a few days i had the time to make my own sriracha. i love this stuff but had no idea it was full of so many chemicals. gwyneth paltrow's cookbook has a recipe and i tried it. this is a great recipe to make on a sunday afternoon because it takes a little while.

1 1/4 cup peeled garlic cloves
1 pound red jalapenos, stemmed and sliced {WARNING - wear a glove when handling and cutting these. i did not and yowza! a few hours later my hand felt like it was on FIRE! i had to sleep with an ice pack on it. also remove seeds if you like a milder sauce.
2 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup plus 1 tbls. light agave nectar
2 tbls. coarse salt
1 tbls. arrowroot powder, or substitute 1 tbls. corn starch
2 tbls. fish sauce, or substitute soy sauce for vegan version

put the garlic in a small saucepan and add cold water just to cover. bring to a boil, immediately drain. cool the garlic under running water, and return it to the saucepan. cover with cold water and repeat the blanching process.
thinly slice the blanched garlic and combine with jalapenos and vinegar in a larger pot. bring to a boil, cook for 3 minutes, and remove from heat.
add the agave nectar and salt to pot and stir to combine. let this mixture sit undisturbed for 1 hour to steep and cool.
whiz the mixture in a blender until smooth (it's ok if all the seeds don't blend in). return the pureed sauce to the pot, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, skimming foam as necessary, until the sauce is slightly reduced and has some body.
in a small bowl, dissolve the arrowroot (or corn starch) with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water. whisk into the simmering sauce and cook for 2 minutes, or until the sauce is nicely thickened (it should be slightly thinner than ketchup). remove the sauce from the heat, let cool slightly, and stir in fish sauce.
