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Not every type of fruit pairs nicely with spicy peppers, and the sugar content can lead to spoilage when you do not handle the ingredients correctly. Needless to say, it’s not easy for a beginner to make a good fermented hot sauce with fruit.
Usually, fruits that can balance the spice are ideal to make hot sauce. Some of these fruits are peach, mango, and apricot.
The following blog will help both amateurs and expert chefs to make the perfect fermented hot sauce using fruit.
Which Fruits are Ideal for Hot Sauce?
You should choose the type of fruit-based on the pepper you are using for the hot sauce. Guava, pineapple, and mango are some tropical fruits that you can use to make your hot sauce.
Soft and sweet fruits like peach balance the spice of the peppers and give a subtle sweet pinch to the hot sauce. Also, citrus fruits like kiwi or cherry will give a slightly sour taste to your hot sauce.
The famous Taco Bell Diablo hot sauce is made with chili peppers, chipotle, and aji panca and has an amazing spicy flavor.
Fruits you can use with Ghost Pepper
Ghost peppers have fruity undertones and a sweet, intense spicy flavor. As a result, ghost pepper works well with many fruits, but certain combinations will truly take the ghost pepper sauce to the next level.
Peach or apricot will reduce the spice in the sauce, while citric fruits like lime and orange increase the hotness of the sauce. Mango is another great option you can go for. Ghost peppers have an orange-red color which along with fruits make your hot sauce look appetizing.
Fruits you can use with Habanero
The yellowish-red Habanero pepper does have a sweet floral undertone, but it is still among the spiciest peppers. With a Scoville Heat Unit of more than 100,000, Habanero is 20 times spicier than the Jalapeno. One thing which does not feature on the Scoville Heat Unit but is still quite spicy is Wasabi.
Citrus fruits are not recommended with Habanero as they do not balance the pepper’s heat. Guava, pear, peach, and mango can be used as they balance the Habanero heat. Dates or figs can also offer richness and sweetness to the hot sauce.
Average Life of Fruit Hot Sauce
Usually, a hot sauce has longer life as intense heat levels don’t allow the breeding of bacteria, but the use of fruits can reduce this time because natural sugars speed up bacteria growth.
Fruit hot sauces stay good for around six months if the sauce has a minimum of 20% vinegar and is made taking all necessary safety precautions.
Top Tips to Make Fermented Hot Sauce with Fruit
First of all, you should follow all safety precautions and ensure there is no spoilage of ingredients. Wash each ingredient to remove their surface bacteria before using them for your sauce.
Don’t put oils in the hot sauce because they can form harmful botulinum. Also, you need to store the sauce in a fridge if it has lower than 20% lime juice or vinegar.
For shelf storage, your hot sauce should have around 3.4 pH, and pH levels more than 4.6 are not acidic enough for fruit hot sauces. Sterilization of all containers used for the preparation and storage of your hot sauce is vital to reduce contamination risks.
Boil your hot sauce for around 2 minutes to pasteurize it before you bottle it. If you want to experiment with flavors, you can mix veggies with fruits for the hot sauce.
Fruits like peach and mango offer a great mix with pumpkin that is perfect for Habanero and other spicy peppers. You can mix orange with dates or carrots and apricot with sweet potato for your hot sauce.
Fermented Hot Sauce with Fruit: Takeaway
You can never go wrong with a spicy sauce, and we just saw various options you can try to make a delicious hot sauce using fruit. Experiment with different fruit and pepper combos to come up with an exciting sauce.
Apart from fruits, you can add spices, honey, dry fruits, etc., to give a rich flavor to your hot sauce. Make sure you take safety measures while making the hot sauce so you can enjoy it in peace with friends and family.
Also, you can try the Flashbang Hot Sauce if you are looking for something explosive.
Hello I’m Rajita! I’m an international traveler and certified “foodie”! I love to try new and exotic foods and share my experiences, recipes and food insights with you. That’s why I’m here. Thanks for stopping by!
