Lacto-Fermented Mango Habanero Hot Sauce
A sweet, spicy, tropical delight. Make this easy fermented hot sauce that you can dollop onto any dish. Best of all, its alive and full of probiotics! It keeps in the fridge for a year, and the flavours will change as it continues to ferment.
Ingredients
- 1 Sweet bell pepper, roughly chopped Orange, yellow, and red are ideal
- 1 Ripe mango, roughly chopped
- 1/2 Onion, roughly chopped
- 8-10 Habanero peppers, roughly chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves, whole
- 2 cups Water (500mL) (Boil tap water and let it cool to de-chlorinate, or use purified/filtered/distilled water)
- 1 tablespoon Non-iodized salt (Ex. sea salt, pink himalayan salt)
- 2-4 tablespoons White sugar
Instructions
- Peel 2 garlic cloves and place them into your mason jar.
- Roughly chop the 8-10 habaneros and place them in the mason jar. Check the habanero pepper seeds. If they are black or discoloured then discard the seeds. I suggest wearing gloves when cutting the habanero peppers as they can make your skin and eyes burn if you are not careful.
- Roughly chop 1 ripe mango, 1 sweet bell pepper, and 1/2 an onion. Place into your mason jar.
- Measure out 2 cups (500mL) of de-chlorinated water. I suggest using tap water that has been boiled and come back down to room temperature. Dissolve 18 grams (~1 tablespoon) of non-iodized salt in the water.
- Pour salt-water into the jar, making sure that all the ingredients are submerged under water. If there is not enough salt water solution, dissolve 1/2 tablespoon of salt in 1 cup (250mL) of water and pour into the jar.
- If there is a lot of headspace in the jar, place a weight such as a stone or ziploc bag filled with water over the ingredients to keep them submerged.
- Place the jar on a small plate and leave on your kitchen counter, away from direct sunlight, for 1-3 weeks to ferment. Fermenting for a longer period of time will produce a sourer, more funky hot sauce. Fermenting for a shorter period of time will produce fresher flavours.
- Tap the jar lid every day for the first week to see if CO2 gas is being produced and putting pressure on the lid. If you can't press the lid down, 'burp the jar' by gently unscrewing the lid to release the gas pressure.
- After 1-3 weeks, strain the salt brine from the other ingredients. Put the ingredients in a blender with 1/4 cup of brine liquid and 2 tablespoons of white sugar. Blend.
- Taste the hot sauce. If desired, adjust the flavour by adding more salt, sugar, spices, or vinegar at this time.
- (Optional) If you prefer a more thin pourable sauce, strain the sauce. You may also whisk in 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to thicken the hot sauce.
- Store the hot sauce in the fridge. I have kept hot sauce for a year in the fridge. The flavours will change as it continues to ferment in the refrigerator.