Fuchs Beißen: Mango Habanero Hot Sauce Recipe

My most popular hot sauce is sweet with a sassy bite. It takes only a few hours to make, and a single batch makes about 1 liter of hot sauce. When I make this recipe for friends and coworkers, I usually do a double-batch (double of each ingredient), then label each tiny bottle with my own design.

---

Fuchs Beißen

Mango Habanero Hot Sauce Recipe

Heat Level: 🟠🟠⚫⚫

Ingredients:

7 habaneros

1 mango

2 small-to-medium onions

6 cloves of garlic

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 to 3 tablespoons honey

3/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon ginger

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander

2 sprays of liquid smoke (optional)

1 full shot of amaretto

Instructions:

1. Cut open the habaneros and remove as much of the seeds as possible. (Advice: when working with hot peppers, wear disposable sterile cooking gloves — or feel the burn!)

2. Dice the onions and habaneros, crush the garlic, and remove the skin and seed from the mango.

3. Add all fresh ingredients into a blender or food processor; add in the dry ingredients next, followed by all remaining ingredients.

4. Blend until everything is a very smooth consistency; the longer, the better.

5. Put into a large pot and bring to a strong boil, then reduce to a simmer for at least 10 minutes to allow some of the water to evaporate. You're aiming for a liquid that stirs nicely, but shows a bit of texture. (see note below)****

6. Add the hot sauce to containers. If you plan to store or share in glass bottles for optimal shelf life, you should sterilize the bottles first by boiling the glass bottles for 30 minutes to pasteurize them, then fill the bottles while the liquid is still simmering to create a tight seal as it cools. (Here's a very short youtube video that shows the process of boiling glass bottles for sterilization.)

7. Store refrigerated. Keep up to two months, but watch for changes in color, texture, or smell. It might last a lot longer if you sterilized your bottles properly during step 6, but monitor carefully, be smart, and consume at your own risk.
   

   ****A note on hot sauce storage: Step 5 is my way of roughly ensuring that enough water is removed to create a lower pH, which helps ensure stronger acidity. High acidity can potentially create longer storage life. However, without knowing the exact pH, I advise always storing my hot sauce in the refrigerator. If you would like to know if a hot sauce is safe for warm storage, you should purchase a pH food testing kit, and ideally aim for a pH lower than 4.0.

---

If you make this recipe (or if you're one of the lucky giftees who have received a tiny bottle of this from my own kitchen), give me a bark in the comments to let me know what you decided to pair it with. I personally can't resist putting it on a Margherita Pizza, and shaking up a toasted almond cocktail to help cool the burn. Feel free to spread this recipe far and wide, enjoy, and stay clever! 🐾