Tropical Hot Sauce
Our Tropical Hot Sauce has so much flavor! This isn’t just hot, it’s delicious too. Inspired by Pollo Tropical’s Poyo Poyo Sauce, this hot sauce has lime juice, sambal, bird’s eye chilis, fresh garlic, and more. This goes great with many tropical meals, rice and beans, even as a dip. Make a batch of this today, you’ll love it!
Poyo Poyo Sauce
My family loves going to a chain restaurant called Pollo Tropical. That make fresh grilled chicken on an open flame with all kinds of Latin goodies like yucca and tostones. But what really makes it are their amazing sauces. My two favorites are their Cilantro Garlic Sauce and their Poyo Poyo Sauce. I have made the my version of their Cilantro Garlic Sauce for year, now I have finally tackled their spicy Poyo Poyo Sauce!
Tropical Hot Sauce
With all my hot sauces, I enjoy ones with flavor, not just heat. I can take a really hot one, but I want flavor with it. This is why I enjoy Poyo Poyo Sauce. So my quest was to replicate the flavor. The heat was the easy part. I also wanted a hot sauce that would pair well with tropical flavors. So it needed to be sweet and tangy as well. As with any copycat recipes, trial and error is a big part of the process. I didn’t know what pepper to use. Habanero? Serrano? Ghost Pepper?
I went with Bird’s Eye Chilies for 1 reason – I had a bunch on hand from making a bunch of Thai food that uses Bird’s Eye Chilis. I also had some Sambal which is sweet and spicy. Lime juice is used a lot in tropical cooking. So I had my base. The rest of the process was ratios and what else would go in it.
What Ingredients Go in Tropical Hot Sauce?
- Fresh Cilantro
- Bird’s Eye Chilies
- Paprika
- Sambal
- Lime Juice
- Fresh Garlic
- Kosher Salt
- Olive Oil
Ingredient Notes
Bird’s Eye Chilies – these aren’t always that easy to find. I found them at a local Asian food market. A more common pepper that is more readily available that is comparable in heat and flavor would habanero. (The unit of measuring the heat of peppers is called “Scoville Heat Units” or SHU).
How Do I Make This?
When I make this, I use my immersion blender (see below), but you can certainly use a blender or mini processor.
Also, you need to add the oil in separately and in a slow manner. This will enable the oil to emulsify to make the sauce thick.
Blender Method
- Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and blend until thick, about 2 minutes.
Immersion Blender Method
- Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a tall container, like a quart size Chinese take out soup container. Insert the immersion blender and blend until smooth.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and blend until thick, about 2 minutes.
Place the sauce in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 30 days.
Pro Recommendations
I love my immersion blender! A friend bought us one as a baby shower present to make baby food. Since then, we use this all the time to beld many foods, make smoothies, and more. This is not a sponsor, I just feel every kitchen should have on!
Try These Other Amazing Recipes!
Marinated Cuban Chicken Thighs
Caribbean Grilled Chicken Breast
Tropical Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro
- 1/2 cup Bird's Eye Chilies, stems removed
- 1/4 cup Paprika
- 1/2 cup Sambal
- 1/4 cup Lime Juice
- 2 Tablespoon Fresh Garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
Instructions
Blender Method
-
Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth.
-
Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and blend until thick, about 2 minutes.
Immersion Blender Method
-
Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a tall container, like a quart size Chinese take out soup container. Insert the immersion blender and blend until smooth.
-
Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and blend until thick, about 2 minutes.
-
Place the sauce in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 30 days.
