I'm serious: this is a Killer Paleo Horseradish recipe. It's delicious. And hot. And dangerous. But not poisonous.
Near-Death Experience
Let me explain. I was making my own paleo horseradish for the first time and the vinegar I decided to use was coconut vinegar. Yeah, I know: I’d never heard of coconut vinegar before either, so I had to use it. I tried a little bit of it in a spoon and it was super potent!
Then, I grated the horseradish, combined my ingredients in a bottle, and shook it. Nothing out of the ordinary about that. So far so good.
I NEVER do this, EVER, but this one time I opened the jar and instead of wafting to smell it like I should have, I stuck my nose right in there and took a big sniff.
This was not smart.
My airways immediately spasmed closed and there was NO air moving in or out of me! I was on my tiptoes, grasping the edge of the sink, white-knuckled, thinking, “This is it. This is how it ends!”
It may have been the lack of oxygen getting to my brain, but I think I started to make peace with the reality that I was going to die right there at the sink. All to make my own sugar free horseradish…
I was finally able to gasp and gulp some air, followed by the most violent coughing that lasted for what seemed like forever, but I believe it was 10 minutes. When all was said and done I was certain that I had either herniated something or cracked a rib (I had reason to suspect this, but that's a story for another time…).
Totally Worth It
I lived to tell the tale, share the story and the recipe, ended up being alright and, more importantly, the paleo hot horseradish was the best I’d ever had.
…win?
I hope you enjoy this sugar-free horseradish sauce as much as I do. And don't forget to experiment with different sauces (mustard, etc.). By the way, do you have any entertaining near-death food-experiences? Share 'em below!
And if you're participating in the 30-day Paleo Challenge with us? How's it going so far? I'm loving it, thanks for asking, haha!
Killer Paleo Horseradish
Ingredients
- 1 cup horseradish root (peeled and grated)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup coconut vinegar (or white vinegar)
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients together and refrigerate.
Notes
DO NOT sniff the container that you have this in (see the story above).
Wanna know more about horseradish, like how to keep it hot, how to control how hot the mixture is, etc., give this a quick read.
- Category: Condiment
Where did you find coconut vinegar? I don’t add water or salt to the horseradish and vinegar when I make it. I refrigerated it this year, as usual, but it seems to have spoiled. Not sure what happened. Did you buy the horseradish root in a grocery store?
Hey Mom,
Some grocery stores will carry the vinegar, you’re fine to use white vinegar if needed. I have seen it in stores like Choices, Whole Foods, Nature’s Fare, etc.
Horseradish root can be found in the produce section of some grocery stores or produce stores. I would think Save-On would be your best bet at home.
As for the vinegar, according to the link I have in the notes of the recipe the vinegar stops the enzymatic reaction causing the hotness of the horseradish, so if you don’t like it as strong add the vinegar immediately after shredding the horseradish. But I like it hot and just like the flavor combination.
Hahahha! I bet you won’t be going nose 1st anymore!
I knew better than that too. I know even better now!
Looooooooool!!!!! I had a perfect visual of you over the sink gasping! (I laugh now, but only because I know you survived)
So grateful you didn’t suffocate by horseradish!
Bet your nasal passages will not require Nettie pot for a month!
Ha! Up on my tip toes as though stretching my body would somehow pull the airways open? I think it was more the coconut vinegar than the horseradish because I don’t remember burning of my eyes or nose…
Is adding organic sour cream ok to make it less hot?
Thanks for posting this!
Hey Kiki,
Possibly (if you’re primal, but not paleo). I’m not sure that the horseradish heat works that way. But I have found that cooking the horseradish takes the heat out of it. Maybe cook it a bit before mixing it up? Let us know what you find?
Ahhhhh, did not know this, thanks Raj! I will try it and let you all know.
Well, you weren’t kidding that the fridge climate would make it hotter. As soon as I mixed it, it was super mild. I thought, Ha, this is cake. But then, within minutes, it was exactly as you described. So I did not sniff it, LOL.
I refrigerated it, and by the next day I couldn’t eat it. It was more like a biological weapon. I had to use so much Fage (I use this instead of sour cream), I’d say 5 heaping Tablespoons of Fage to a drop of horseradish.
Glad to have tried it tho. A lot of work grating the root.
Thanks so much for a great post!
Hahaha, yeah… Some people really love the hot stuff, and this is that. Grated horseradish root, man it’s definitely got more going on than the processed stuff. I wonder if cooking it a bit would help. Try simmering it for a bit in a saucepan. I think I mentioned before that baking the horseradish (such as in the Horseradish Honey Mustard Pecan Encrusted Salmon recipe) cuts the bite right out. I find that actually sweetens it up.