I’m seeing beautiful rosy-skinned mangoes at the markets here in LA lately, and they inspired me to create this fantastic BBQ sauce. It’s savory and a little fruity – but not overpowered by mango – and you get a nice fiery kick from fresh habanero chilies, plus a tart punch of lime. I’m thrilled with how this sauce turned out! It’s paleo, vegan, and free from all the major allergens, so it’s safe for pretty much everyone to eat (except the keto crowd). It’s delicious on all sorts of proteins: chicken, tempeh, tofu, duck, turkey, pork, and yes, even seafood, so slather away. I’m actually going to simmer some pulled jackfruit in it for tomorrow’s Taco Tuesday dinner.
Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients – a lot of them are dried spices and other pantry staples, and this is a pretty simple sauce to make. I recommend wearing gloves when handling the habanero peppers; if you don’t have any, please wash your hands, knife, and cutting board very well after you’ve chopped the peppers. Keep an eye on your pan heat during the first few minutes so you don’t scorch the spices, and be sure to stir the sauce frequently as it simmers. When all is said and done you’ll have a fabulous BBQ sauce in about 30 minutes.
Enjoy!
- 15ml (1 Tbsp) neutral oil
- 1½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp ground clove
- 2 oz (¼ medium) yellow onion, finely chopped, yield ½ cup
- 2 habanero peppers, stemmed and chopped
- 2 small cloves garlic, minced, yield about 1 tsp)
- 240ml (1 cup) unseasoned tomato sauce or passata
- 1 large (15-16 oz) very ripe mango, peeled and chopped
- 33g (scant 3 Tbsp) mild molasses
- 48g (¼ cup) coconut sugar
- 38g (2 Tbsp) maple syrup
- 60ml (¼ cup) apple cider vinegar
- Zest of 1 lime
- 45ml (3 Tbsp) fresh lime juice
- 31g (2 Tbsp) yellow mustard*
- 10ml (2 tsp) coconut aminos or 1 tsp gluten-free tamari
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground white pepper
- Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, ginger, and clove, and bloom for 15-30 seconds until fragrant. Add onion and sauté until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add habanero and garlic, and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened and reduced by about 20-25%.
- Puree sauce directly in pot with an immersion blender or transfer to standing blender and process until smooth; you should have a little more than 2 cups of sauce. Taste and add more salt or pepper if desired.
- Let cool to room temperature, transfer to a jar, and store in refrigerator. Sauce will keep for 3-4 weeks.
[…] recipe with you. Time to remedy that with these fantastic Pulled BBQ Jackfruit Tacos! I posted the recipe for my Fiery Mango BBQ Sauce the other day, and it’s an essential component of these tacos. […]