Stabilizing or emulsifying liquid hot sauce from chili peppers

[quourteous]

Hi All –

About three years ago, on a whim when there was a small glut of habañero peppers around here, I made some hot sauce. Two kinds: I finely sieved the cooked amalgam, yielding some thickish paste and then some liquid like Tabasco, only translucent, an appealing orange color.

We enjoyed both, they lasted well, and we just recently ran out – so I tried again. This time it was not habañeros that were plentiful, but a kind of chili pepper that is apparently called 'sivri'.

A small problem this time: the liquid sauce 'separates': there's an orange sediment and then a much clearer, transparent liquid. No catastrophe, I guess we'll just shake the bottles when we come to use it, but I'll probably be giving some to friends and family and it would be nicer if the stuff were 'emulsified' so that shaking is not necessary.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[baby doll]

@quourteous shaking works fine at home, but if you want it stable for gifting, a little xanthan gum goes a long way. Just blend it in while mixing and it'll keep that sauce looking uniform.

 

[quourteous]

Thank you! That is surely the best answer! I'm wondering about workarounds, maybe stupidly: The cheapest xanthan I can find will be close to $7, hardly a fortune, call me cheap, but I bought the 'fruit', the chilies, for a couple of bucks on a whim.

I don't suppose I could use pectin, the gelling agent for jams – just sparingly so that it doesn't gel, just thickens slightly? I'm asking because I do have some of that...

 

[Abdul Muhamed]

The question I have is what is the liquid on top? If it is simply water with a bit of capsicum in it to make it hot, why not simmer it until it evaporates, or strain it off ? When I make my hot sauce, I ferment it for several weeks, puree it in a blender, and run it through a sieve to make it the consistency of commercial hot sauce. I can then put it in shaker bottles and not worry about clogs.

BTW, xanthan gum is super powerful, a pinch would thicken that up and a small bottle would last the rest of your life.

 

[quourteous]

Abdul, That's all really useful – thanks so much! Interested to read the details of your technique.

The pectin did not work, though it was worth a try, I suppose. As you see from the new photos, I separated the sauce into 'solids' and liquid. The solids are no problem, perfect, but the liquid continued to separate:

I think it will have to be the xanthan gum! Okay, it'll be a lifetime supply as you say, but hey, it'll be a learning experience and who knows when it might come in handy again?

I'll post the results. Thanks again!

 

[Abdul Muhamed]

I put xanthan gum in gravies/sauces that are just too thin, and smoothies. You can take fruit, sugar, xanthan gum and a liquid (rum, water, fruit juice) and ice and blend it together. Freeze and the xanthan keeps the texture smooth not rock hard...