---
title: "Chilean Fermented Cacho de Cabra Hot Sauce — Ají Cacho de Cabra Recipe"
description: "Versión en Español Chilean fermented cacho de cabra hot sauce is made by dissolving non-iodized salt in filtered water to create a brine, submerging red ají cacho de cabra chilies and garlic in..."
url: https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/chilean-fermented-cacho-de-cabra-hot-sauce-recipe/
date: 2026-07-26
modified: 2026-07-26
author: "Carlos Uhart M."
image: https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Chilean-Fermented-Cacho-de-Cabra-Hot-Sauce-Aji-Recipe.jpg
categories: ["Appetizers"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# Chilean Fermented Cacho de Cabra Hot Sauce — Ají Cacho de Cabra Recipe

[Versión en Español](https://comidaschilenas.com/como-hacer-salsa-de-aji-cacho-de-cabra-fermentado-y-con-vinagre-de-manzana/)

![Chilean fermented ají cacho de cabra hot sauce in a glass bottle — lacto-fermented red chili sauce with apple cider vinegar](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Chilean-Fermented-Cacho-de-Cabra-Hot-Sauce-Aji-Recipe.jpg)*Chilean Fermented Cacho de Cabra Hot Sauce — Ají Cacho de Cabra Recipe*

Chilean fermented cacho de cabra hot sauce is made by dissolving non-iodized salt in filtered water to create a brine, submerging red ají cacho de cabra chilies and garlic in the brine for 10 to 15 days at room temperature to lacto-ferment, then blending with apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and a pinch of sugar — bottled and refrigerated, it keeps over 2 months and serves 10.

This recipe revives an ancestral preservation method — lactic acid fermentation — and finishes it with apple cider vinegar to deepen the acid profile, stabilize the sauce, and extend shelf life. The result is a hot sauce with complexity that a simple blended fresh chili cannot achieve: sour, funky, aromatic, and with a slow-building heat characteristic of fully ripe cacho de cabra.

## How to Make Chilean Fermented Cacho de Cabra Hot Sauce?

Lactic fermentation is a hands-off process once the brine is prepared and the jar is sealed — the naturally occurring bacteria on the chili skin do all the work over 10 to 15 days. The cook’s role is to ensure the right conditions: correct salt concentration (3% by weight), full submersion of the chilies, and a stable cool temperature between 18 and 24°C. The blending stage takes under 5 minutes; the patience required is only for the fermentation window.

## Nutritional Information

Each tablespoon serving of Chilean fermented cacho de cabra hot sauce contains approximately 25 calories, 0.5 g of proteins, 1.5 g of total fats, 0 mg of cholesterol, 3 g of carbohydrates, 1.2 g of sugars, and 400 mg of sodium. Lacto-fermented chili sauces retain the vitamin C and antioxidants of fresh chilies while adding live lactic acid bacteria and their metabolic byproducts, which support digestive health.

## Homemade Chilean Fermented Cacho de Cabra Hot Sauce Recipe

**Prep Time:** 40 minutes

**Fermentation Time:** 10–15 days

**Servings:** 10 (approximately 300 ml finished sauce)

### Ingredients

- 200 g fresh red ají cacho de cabra chilies
- 200 ml filtered water (chlorine-free)
- 6 g non-iodized coarse sea salt (3% of water weight)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar (preferably raw brown sugar)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

### Instructions

1. **Prepare the chilies and brine:** Wash the red cacho de cabra chilies under cold running water. Remove the stems and cut the chilies into halves or quarters — remove the seeds and inner membranes if you prefer a less intense heat, or leave them in for full pungency. In a clean bowl, dissolve the 6 g of non-iodized coarse salt in 200 ml of filtered (chlorine-free) water, stirring until completely dissolved. This 3% brine creates the ideal salinity for lactic fermentation.

![Fresh red ají cacho de cabra chilies cut for lacto-fermentation in brine — Chilean hot sauce base ingredient](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Red-Aji-Cacho-de-Cabra-Chilies-for-Chilean-Fermented-Hot-Sauce.jpg)*Step 1 — Fresh red cacho de cabra chilies stemmed and cut into halves or quarters for fermenting*

1. **Pack and ferment:** Place the cut chilies and garlic cloves in a clean, sterilized glass jar. Pour the brine over the chilies until they are completely submerged — no piece should be above the liquid line. To keep the chilies submerged, place a small weight on top (a clean stone, a smaller jar filled with water, or a zip-lock bag filled with brine). Cover the jar with a cloth or lid left slightly loose — the fermentation will produce CO2 that needs to escape. Store in a cool, dark place at 18 to 24°C for 10 to 15 days.

![Non-iodized coarse sea salt dissolved in filtered water to create the fermentation brine for Chilean ají cacho de cabra](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Non-Iodized-Coarse-Salt-for-Chilean-Chili-Fermentation-Brine.jpg)*Step 2 — Non-iodized coarse salt dissolved in filtered water to make the lactic fermentation brine*

1. **Blend the fermented sauce:** After 10 to 15 days the brine will be cloudy, the chilies will have softened, and the aroma will be pleasantly sour and funky — this is correct. Drain the chilies, reserving the fermentation liquid. Transfer the chilies to a blender or food processor. Add the apple cider vinegar, sugar, and olive oil. Blend until smooth, adding reserved fermentation liquid gradually to reach your desired consistency — thicker for a paste, more fluid for a pourable sauce.

![Apple cider vinegar added to fermented cacho de cabra chilies when blending the Chilean hot sauce](https://www.chileanfoodrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Apple-Cider-Vinegar-to-Stabilize-Chilean-Fermented-Chili-Sauce.jpg)*Step 3 — Apple cider vinegar blended with the fermented chilies to acidify, stabilize, and deepen the sauce*

1. **Bottle and refrigerate:** Taste and adjust seasoning — add more vinegar for acidity, more oil to reduce heat, or more sugar to balance. Pour into sterilized glass bottles or jars, leaving at least 2 cm of headspace. Seal and refrigerate. The sauce is ready immediately but improves significantly after 2 to 4 weeks of refrigeration. It keeps for over 2 months.

## Additional Tips

### How to Reduce Heat If the Sauce Is Too Spicy

If the finished sauce is more intense than intended — from either leaving seeds in during fermentation or using particularly pungent chilies — there are two effective ways to reduce the sensation without diluting the flavor. Adding more olive oil works because capsaicin is fat-soluble: the additional fat binds to capsaicin molecules and distributes the heat more evenly across the palate rather than concentrating it. Adding more apple cider vinegar works because the acidity competes on the same taste receptors that register heat, creating a perception of less pungency. Both techniques work better than adding water, which simply dilutes all flavors uniformly.

### Use the Fermentation Brine

The leftover liquid drained from the fermented chilies — the brine — is one of the most flavorful byproducts of this process. Rich in lactic acid bacteria, umami compounds, and the concentrated essence of the cacho de cabra, it can be stirred into homemade mayonnaise for a tangy, slightly funky aioli, used as a base for a spicy Bloody Mary, or mixed into salad dressings in place of regular vinegar. Store it separately in a small sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to one month.

| Variable | Standard | Alternative | Effect |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Chili | Red ají cacho de cabra | Green cacho de cabra or ají cristal | Green gives a fresher, grassier sauce; less complex fermented flavor |
| Fermentation time | 10–15 days | 7 days (minimum) to 21 days | Shorter = milder acid; longer = more funk and depth |
| Vinegar | Apple cider vinegar | White wine vinegar or rice vinegar | White wine = sharper; rice = milder; all provide stabilizing acidity |
| Seeds | Removed for medium heat | Left in for full heat | Seeds and membranes hold most of the capsaicin |

## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

### Why are there green and red cacho de cabra chilies?

Ají cacho de cabra is green when unripe and turns deep red when fully mature. Red chilies have higher capsaicin content and a more concentrated flavor — ideal for fermented sauces. Green cacho de cabra is used for fresh preparations like pebre and salsa verde.

### Why does a white film form on the brine during fermentation?

This is kahm yeast — a harmless surface yeast common in lactic fermentation. Remove it with a clean spoon and ensure the chilies stay submerged. Discard only if you see fuzzy colored mold (green, black, pink) or smell something genuinely rotten rather than pleasantly sour.

### Why must I use non-iodized salt for fermentation?

Iodine and anti-caking additives inhibit lactic acid bacteria, the microorganisms that drive the fermentation. Without active bacteria, the brine will not acidify, the flavor will not develop, and the natural preservation that makes the sauce shelf-stable will not occur. Use coarse sea salt, kosher salt, or pickling salt with no additives.

### When does the fermented sauce reach its best flavor?

The sauce is ready after 10 days but improves significantly after 2 to 4 weeks of refrigeration following blending. The sharpness of the vinegar mellows and the acidic, umami, and heat notes integrate into a rounder, more complex profile.

### Does the sauce continue fermenting once refrigerated?

Yes, but very slowly. Leave at least 2 cm of headspace in each jar and burp them (briefly open to release pressure) once a week for the first two weeks if you notice the lid bulging.

## What Is Chilean Ají Cacho de Cabra?

Ají cacho de cabra — literally “goat horn chili” — is a medium-heat chili pepper native to Chile, named for its characteristic elongated, curved shape. It is one of the most culturally significant chili varieties in the country, cultivated primarily in the Elqui Valley (Coquimbo Region) and the secano interior of the central and southern zones. The mature red cacho de cabra has a flavor profile that combines moderate heat with a slightly fruity, earthy note that becomes more complex when dried or fermented. It holds a Protected Denomination of Origin (DO) in Chile, legally restricting the use of the name to chilies produced by traditional methods within its recognized geographic area.

## History and Origin of Ají Cacho de Cabra

Chili cultivation in Chile has pre-Columbian roots — the Mapuche people used wild and cultivated chili varieties (collectively called trapi in Mapudungun) in both cooking and ceremonial contexts centuries before Spanish contact. Fermentation as a preservation method was practiced across Andean cultures using a range of substrates including corn (chicha), chili, and root vegetables. The cacho de cabra variety’s documented cultivation in the Elqui Valley can be traced to colonial times, and its use in preserved sauces — whether salt-cured, vinegar-pickled, or brine-fermented — represents a continuous tradition of chili preservation in Chile that spans at minimum 400 years.

## Did You Know?

The 3% salt concentration used in this recipe (6 g of salt per 200 ml of water) is not arbitrary. Lactic acid bacteria are salt-tolerant microorganisms that thrive at this concentration, while most harmful bacteria and pathogens cannot survive it. At concentrations below 2%, harmful bacteria can compete with the lactobaciullus and the ferment may spoil. At concentrations above 5%, even the beneficial bacteria slow down significantly and fermentation stalls. The 2 to 3.5% window is the zone where lactic fermentation proceeds reliably and safely — the same principle used to make sauerkraut, kimchi, and traditional pickles worldwide.

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