Habanero Hot Sauce

Instructions

1. Safety preparation
   Wear gloves when handling habanero peppers as they can irritate skin and eyes. Work in a well-ventilated area. Carefully remove stems and seeds from the peppers (leave some seeds if you want extra heat).
2. Prepare the vegetables
   Roughly chop the carrot, onion, and garlic. The smaller the pieces, the easier they'll blend later. If using mango, peel and dice it into small chunks.
3. Simmer the ingredients
   In a medium saucepan, combine the peppers, carrot, onion, garlic, vinegar, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables have softened.
4. Cool the mixture
   Remove the saucepan from heat and allow the mixture to cool for approximately 5 minutes. This prevents dangerous steam when blending and protects your blender from hot liquids.
5. Blend the sauce
   Carefully transfer the mixture to a blender. Add the lime juice, honey, salt, cumin, mango (if using), and oregano. Blend on high speed until completely smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
6. Strain for smoothness
   For a smoother sauce, strain the blended mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
7. Bottle and store
   Transfer the hot sauce to sterilized glass bottles or jars with tight-fitting lids. Allow to cool completely before sealing. For best flavor development, refrigerate for 2-3 days before using.