fermenting Ideas about Fermenting a Habanero Mango sauce?

[mcbob]

I just picked up a couple of nice mangos and removed the flesh and froze for a future sauce. I'm planning on using Habs, some red onion, garlic and perhaps a little ginger. Looking at other recipes I noticed many of them cooked the mango or just made a non fermented sauce that required being cooked.

I was planning on just fermenting everything together for about a month. I'm concerned this might remove much of the mango flavor though.
Would I be better off adding more fresh mango after fermentation? I haven't seen this mentioned in other recipes. I suppose it would impact shelf life.

 

[HellfireFarm]

Not speaking from direct experience, but from fermenting mead with fruit - my expectation is that you would have mango flavor but it would be changed from the fermentation, so not as pure and sweet. For a fresher and fruitier flavor, I would add it later.

 

[Downriver]

Depends on what you're looking for as an end result. You want a sauce that tastes like you took a bite out of a mango, with some heat, go the fresh route. You want a more earthy, tangy (not vinegary) , blended flavor, with a more subtle profile, go with fermented. OR, do a combination of both, fermented and fresh. Like I said, it all depends on what you're looking for.

Now, you mentioned “cooked”. ALL sauces, regardless of how they were created, should be pasteurized, which some may call “cooking”. It's more about killing nasties and increasing shelf stability than it is about cooking. Read this link for more info.

I've done it both ways, and the sauces are very different from each other. And, each sauce has its' place. I don't know how much fermenting and sauce-making experience you have, but I'd say just experiment. Find what's good according to YOU. Then go from there.

Just my 2c.

Good luck with it, and have fun!

 

[mcbob]

Depends on what you're looking for as an end result. You want a sauce that tastes like you took a bite out of a mango, with some heat, go the fresh route. You want a more earthy, tangy (not vinegary) , blended flavor, with a more subtle profile, go with fermented. OR, do a combination of both, fermented and fresh. Like I said, it all depends on what you're looking for.

Now, you mentioned “cooked”. ALL sauces, regardless of how they were created, should be pasteurized, which some may call “cooking”. It's more about killing nasties and increasing shelf stability than it is about cooking. Read this link for more info.

I've done it both ways, and the sauces are very different from each other. And, each sauce has its' place. I don't know how much fermenting and sauce-making experience you have, but I'd say just experiment. Find what's good according to YOU. Then go from there.

Just my 2c.

Good luck with it, and have fun!

Thanks for the suggestions. I started fermenting last year. I made several varieties some winners others tossed. I only fermented with the exception of one batch that I added pineapple after fermentation and heated the sauce for storage in the fridge. I still have some of my fermented batches from last fall and they look and taste great. I believe I'm ok with acid levels. I do need to get a meter though.

My best by far was a pear habanero. the pears retained some sweetness as sorbitol that does not ferment out. I was stunned how good it was.

I'm hoping to do the same thing with the mangos but I don't believe there is much sorbitol in mangos.
I guess I'll just have to make a couple of batches and experiment. What a fun hobby!

 

[Downriver]

...I believe I'm ok with acid levels. I do need to get a meter though.

Absolutely need a pH meter. You owe it to yourself and to the people who enjoy your sauces. A good one can be had for around $40.

An example: You ferment your mango sauce for 30 days. pH is probably around 3.5. Now you add fresh mango, who's pH is around 6.0. What's the pH of the resultant sauce? Is it shelf stable? A pH meter will take the safety roulette guessing game out of it.

Regarding residual sweetness. As long as you pasteurize, feel free to back-sweeten to get the sauce to where you want it. Play around with different sweeteners, i.e. one of the fake sugars, white sugar, brown sugar, honey, agave, etc. I'm not big on the fake stuff, but I would use Splenda personally. No nasty aftertaste, at least not to me. I probably use agave the most. Again, experiment and find YOUR sweet spot. (sorry for the pun lol)

Anyway, keep after it, have fun, and be safe.