Love sriracha sauce? If you’re a fan like me, you probably put the stuff on everything (I even add it to salads). Spicy but sweet, with just the right amount of tang, just a small drizzle of the bright red sauce jolts even the most mundane dishes with a little extra personality.

Several years ago, I was curious how hard it might be to make my own and was amazed at how easy it is. Sure, the store-bought is great, but there’s nothing like whipping up a fresh batch that you can tweak to suit your own tastes. The method is simple: combine fresh jalapeño or fresno chiles with garlic, vinegar and a touch of salt and sugar and blend together, then warm in a saucepan to marry the flavors. Strain and you’ve got your sauce. Voila.

Sometimes I’ll add a few habaneros to the mix, or tweak the flavors by substituting the vinegars or sweetener. It’s a flexible recipe, so feel free to play around. And it also makes a great homemade gift.

SRIRACHA-STYLE HOT SAUCE

Total time: 25 minutes. Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce

1 pound mixed fresh red chiles (such as red Fresnos or jalapenos), stemmed and chopped

2 to 4 cloves garlic

1/4 cup cane or rice vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, more if desired

2 tablespoons palm, demerara or dark brown sugar, more if desired

1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the chiles, garlic, vinegar, salt and sugar to form a coarse paste.

2. Transfer the mixture to a non-reactive saucepan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the aroma softens or mellows a bit, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Blend the sauce again to form a smooth paste, thinning as desired with water.

4. Strain the sauce, pressing the solids through a fine mesh strainer with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Taste the sauce, and tweak the flavors as desired with additional salt, sugar or vinegar. Remove the sauce to a glass jar or bottle and cool completely. Refrigerate until needed, up to 2 weeks.

Note: From Noelle Carter. Adapted from a recipe I created while at the Los Angeles Times.