DIY Christmas Gifting - Mango Hot Sauce!

Ever wanted to make your own hot sauce? How about one with a tropical twist? This mango hot sauce is spicy and a little bit sweet from the mango. Thicker than usual it's so versatile to add a bit of chilli spice to your dishes and makes for a fun Christmas gift.

I've said this a few times but I love chilli so much that think I'm almost at that stage of carrying chilli or hot sauce with me. When I saw the recipe for this mango hot sauce I was very curious to make it. The mango mellows it out somewhat but also gives it a fruity tang. I decided to make this when I had half a dozen mangoes in the kitchen and then I remember a recipe I saw on Constantly Cooking, a blog by a lovely woman Paula Roy whom I met in Canada.

Apart from mangoes, I have a lot of new things in my kitchen from my recent travels to Scotland and Northern Ireland. Be sure to check out Sherry who hosts the In My Kitchen round up and all the other people who have new things in their kitchen.

Okay I know haggis isn't for everyone but I happen to love it. When I asked Mr NQN to grab a snack for me from the shop while we were in Edinburgh he came back with a bag of these haggis chips. They were absolutely delicious and sort of like the light or starter version of haggis. I immediately bought 10 bags to give to friends.

In Edinburgh I also bought some Scottish fudge and tablet for gifts. Tablet is like fudge but grainier in texture and both are very sweet.

The next items are from Northern Ireland. As you may be able to tell, chips are my favourite snack and there's a Northern Irish brand called Tayto that makes chips in a huge range of flavours. These are just some of them (I tried quite a few types while I was there). I'm saving the turkey, ham and stuffing for Christmas! ;)

Everyone talks about Ireland and potatoes but I feel like bread is a huge thing there too (see my wheaten bread recipe which I loved). These are two types of Irish breads: potato bread and soda bread.

I particularly liked the white soda bread which is like a slightly under-baked bread split into quarters or farls. You can eat these as is with butter and jam or part of an Ulster fry up (a big breakfast).

So tell me Dear Reader, what do you think of haggis? How much chilli can you take on a scale of 1 - 10 where 10 is super spicy?

Mango Hot Sauce

Adapted from Constantly Cooking

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

• 4-5 Thai red chillies (or your favourite type, Scotch bonnets etc), finely chopped
• 1 mango, flesh cut into small cubes
• 1 carrot, grated or finely chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup lime juice (around 2-3 limes)

Step 1 - Place all ingredients except for lime juice in a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes-the mango should be very soft by then.

Step 2 - Take an immersion blender and blitz the mixture until a smooth puree. Add the lime juice and taste. Refrigerate for 2 months. Makes approximately 3 cups of hot sauce.