Mango season is in full swing, and I can't seem to resist buying a case of mangoes. This usually means we have about a dozen mangoes in the house, and ultimately means Mango Chili Sauce time.
What Type of Mangoes do I use for Chili Sauce?
I always buy a mango called R2E2 Mango, which can weigh up to 1 kilo (2 pounds each)! R2E2 simply means Row 2 Experiment 2, from the governments mango research facility in Bowen, Queensland. R2E2 is the 3rd most popular mango sold in Australia, and is sought after for export markets. I love the giant size and the great flavour this mango gives, and it's non-fibrous or stringy like some varieties. R2E2 is NOT genetically modified, just has a funny name!
Not all mangoes are the same, you want to use mangoes that are not stringy and fibrous. If you eat a mango, and there are lots of fibres in your teeth, then it's the wrong one! Try to use fibre free mangoes. When I was in Bolivia, I made this mango sauce with wild mangoes. The flavor was good, but the fibrous pulp was difficult. After boiling and blending the mangoes, we had to strain them before continuing with the recipe. So it's possible to use common mangoes, but it requires a further step.
This mango sauce recipe is inspired by an amazing mango chili sauce we used to buy in Canada. I think it was Indian in origin, but I can't find it in Australia. My version is almost a hybrid sauce between mangoes and a sweet chili sauce. The passionfruit juice is completely optional. I have passionfruits growing in my yard, so it's easy to source for me. I like to think that they add a really subtle tropical-ness to the sauce, but don't sweat it if you don't have any! Just make sure there is no passionfruit seeds, as this will ruin the recipe.
How to Make Mango Chili Sauce
The mangoes I used weigh about 500 grams (1 lb) each, so if you are using smaller mangoes, you might need to use extra. If you want to keep the sauce looking more 'yellow' instead of orange, simply replace the red Thai chilis (Bird's Eye chilis) with spicy yellow chilis, like the Siam chili, and it will keep the sauce color more similar to a mango. If you use red bell peppers (red capsicums) it will turn the sauce quite red.
This is an easy recipe to make. Simply cook all the ingredients together before using a stick blender to combine together. You need to be careful as can will burn yourself as the mango sauce is super hot! If you'd like your sauce to be less runny, then add a corn starch slurry to thicken.
You can also use frozen mangoes if fresh aren't available. Check the ripeness and taste the sweetness of the mangoes. Unripe green mangoes will need extra sugar in the mango sauce, adjust to your taste.
Not All Chilli Peppers Are The Same!
This might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised that people don't understand the different heats of chili peppers. This recipe recommends using Thai Chili Peppers. Other peppers to use are Cayenne Peppers, or even the Charleston Hot Pepper. If you use Habanero Chili Peppers, remember they are about twice as hot as the Thai Chili Peppers. Also remember that the amount of pepper seeds you add to the recipe, greatly increases the heat. Adjust recipe accordingly to your tastes.
I love making dipping sauces like Sweet Chili Sauce or Easy Sriracha Mayo. This Sweet Mango Chilli Sauce recipe is awesome as a dip for chicken strips, shrimp, Vietnamese or Thai rolls, add to a stir fry or a salad dressing. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Sweet Mango Chili Sauce and Dip
Ingredients
- 4 red Thai chillis - roughly chopped seeds in
- 1 yellow capsicum bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 mangoes roughly chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- juice of 1 lime
- 4 tablespoons passionfruit juice optional
Instructions
- Chop and deseed the chillis. You can decide on the amount of heat you want in your sauce by the amount of seeds you leave.
- In a saucepan, place all the ingredients, except the cornstarch, and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Using a stick blender, carefully blend the mango sauce until smooth and all lumps and chillis are blended. Remember it's very hot! Don't burn yourself!
- OPTIONAL - only if sauce is very runny. Return to heat and return to simmer. Take 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and mix with 2 tablespoons of cold water makeing a slurry. Add the corn starch slurry to the mango sauce and cook for a few minutes until it thickens.
- Place into a clean sterilised jar, allow to cool and keep refrigerated.
Notes
©PetersFoodAdventures.com
Jenn F
I was wondering if you think I could pull off this recipe with peaches? They're in season here in the states and I wound up with an abundance of them as well as Thai chilies and this sounds amazing!
Peter's Food Adventures
Yes, I think that would be amazing! I made a chili peach sauce with ginger and garlic one year and it was great. Let me know how it goes!!! 👍🏻
ike
loved this recipe so much! Will defo be making this again, its the perfect sauce for bbqs
Peter's Food Adventures
That's great to hear! 👍🏻
Jo Coyle
Just made this and love it! I used more chilli as I wanted not so subtle, is delicious thanks for the recipe.
Peter's Food Adventures
Thanks Jo, so glad it worked for you! It's great to use more or less chilli based on your own taste preferences, much nicer than store bought sauces! 😊
Jo Coyle
Making another batch today before mango season is done.. We use it on everything.. I even had it on Greek yoghurt for breakfast 😂
Peter's Food Adventures
So good! What a great idea, sweet spicy mango on greek yogurt, sounds like a fancy restaurant dish! 👍🏻
Yanik Turgeon
How low will the sauce stay good if I keep it refrigerated?
Peter's Food Adventures
Hi Yanik. I’d say a few weeks in the fridge. Some people have had it longer, and others have used a water canning method to ‘can’ it for longevity, but I personally keep it in the fridge and eat it up quickly!
Matt
Hello! This is kind of off topic but I need some
guidance from an established blog. Is it hard to set up your own blog?
I'm not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick.
I'm thinking about creating my own but I'm not sure where to begin. Do you
have any ideas or suggestions? With thanks
Peter's Food Adventures
Hi Matt, like everything, you start small and learn along the way. There are lots of resources on google that can help guide you, and even facebook group pages you can join. Good luck on your blog! 🙂
Paul
I travel to the Philippines yearly a street vendor here sells fish balls with a side of mango dipping sauce . I tried for years to mimick this sauce... then i found your post... and its very close if not better than what i had ...
Thanks...
Peter's Food Adventures
Gold, That’s great to hear! So glad you discovered this recipe and that you love it!!! Street food... it’s the highest complement! Thank you Paul
Ken Hibbins
Hi,
Definitely going to try your mango chilli sauce, funny you should mention not being able to find a good sauce in Australia, because we have been looking for a recipe after not finding anything in the UK to compare with 'The Frosty Mango' mango chilli sauce, from Queensland. If your not familiar with it, you should give it a try The Frosty Mango is a mango farm about about 40km north of Townsville. Every time we visit our daughter in Townsville we drive up and buy a few bottles to bring home.
Best regards,
Ken and Loroine
PetersFoodAdventures
Thanks Ken! I will keep an eye out for it! Townsville is probably a 5 day drive from my place, so that's probably why I haven't seen it yet! Will look out for it! 🙂
Alfie
How much does this make?
PetersFoodAdventures
Hi Alfie, great question. I suppose some of that will be determined by the size of the mangoes. I had giant mangoes, and after it was all said and done, I had around 4 cups of sauce.
Barang diskon
I never know that i can dp it with mangoes! Great!
PetersFoodAdventures
Definitely one of my favourite sauces!!!
Jennifer
Can this be canned? If so how long in a water bath?
PetersFoodAdventures
Hi Jennifer, Yes this is fine to can in water bath, just don't skip the lime juice. The length of time in a water bath depends on your physical elevation from sea level. If you are from 1000ft to 3000ft high, then about 20-25 minutes should be fine. I wouldn't go less than 20 minutes, and not more than 30. Ensure to follow proper sterilization techniques, as I am sure you are aware of! 🙂 Good luck and enjoy!
Daniëlle
So good! I love it, thanks for sharing
PetersFoodAdventures
Thanks so much for checking it out! 🙂
Hope you love it as much as we do!
Indu
Hi Peter,
Lovely recipe. Any idea if this sauce can be canned and stored for a few months? Would love to give these out as gifts to family members, but mango season is about to get over in another week or so.
PetersFoodAdventures
Thanks Indu! I love mango season!! I haven't canned this before, and am no expert, however fruit has a low ph, plus with the added acidic lime juice, I think it should be safe to can, using the water method. Always check the latest canning guidelines. We usually eat this very quickly at my house and I don't bother canning it! Maybe I should attempt next mango season! Please let me know how it works for you!
RoberteLaRoche
What amazing mango access you have! It sounds like a Star Wars android!
PetersFoodAdventures
Haha! I've never heard it described that way before! But you are right, it does sound like a Star Wars Mango! Thanks so much for your comment, this made me laugh! 🙂 Have a great day!
chillijoncarne
This looks really good, I've tried making a mango chutney before, but I like the idea of adding a little bit of heat to the sauce.
PetersFoodAdventures
I've never made mango chutney before, (not a huge fan of chutneys) but adding spice to it would definitely improve it, in my humble opinion! 🙂 I wonder if I would like a chutney better if I blended it to a sauce? lol
Lilly
Made your sauce with the first Kensington Prides (couldn’t wait until summer!) but will try it with R2E2 as well since they’re my husband’s favourites. I also used homegrown ghost peppers (naga jolokia) since we love a real kick of chilli in our food. Tasted great, perfect for BBQ season! Thanks for sharing!
Peter's Food Adventures
Thanks so much for the feedback! So glad you guys enjoyed it! I can’t wait for mango season!!!!
youthfoodblog
Very healthy sauce! Thanks for sharing!
PetersFoodAdventures
Thanks! I never really thought of it as healthy, but you are right, it is! 🙂
Red Velvet Snow
Yum!! I love Mango mixed with spicy. It is the perfect combo of sweet and spicy- this looks delish!!
PetersFoodAdventures
me too! so good! and not hard at all to make! 🙂
Neethu
Wow the pics look amazing..m sure it tastes awesome too..????????
PetersFoodAdventures
Thanks Neethu! it sure does! 🙂