Home-made Peri-Peri sauce
Deeply flavorful African peri-peri sauce made with bird’s eye chillies, onions, peppers, garlic & lemons. This sauce is a must-have for spicy food lovers.
As a South African,
my house is never without a few bottles of this glorious red hot sauce. We use
it on everything from chicken, steak and pork to adding it to marinades and
dressings. If you’re my brothers (or any member of my extended family, really),
you eat it on absolutely everything.
What is peri
peri sauce?
Peri-peri sauce (or piri-piri sauce) is an African
chilli sauce made with spicy chillies (African bird’s eye chilies brought to
Africa by the Portuguese) blended with aromatics like garlic, onion and herbs.
For me it’s the perfect mix between Harissa and a
classic Hot sauce. You have the flavor depth and character of Harissa with the
punchy kick of hot sauce, and then some. Some versions are so hot in fact, that
just smelling them will make your eyes water. This recipe packs serious heat
but I’ve tempered it with roasted red bell peppers, tomatoes (not super
traditional) and lots of lemon juice, vinegar and herbs. You can also thin it
out with a little more olive oil and a splash of water if you want it to be
more “saucy”.
Ingredients
The key ingredient to any peri-peri sauce is the
African bird’s eye chili you find in markets and stores all over Southern
Africa. If you struggle to find bird’s eye chillies Thai chillies or any
long, small red chilies will work well. Serrano peppers or Fresno peppers can
also work but if you can get your hands on African chillies, use them. You
won’t regret it.
- African
Bird’s eye chillies. Use any red, small chilli/chili
peppers as a substitute.
- Red bell
pepper.
- Red onion.
- Fresh
garlic cloves.
- Tomatoes.
- Olive
oil. I used extra-virgin olive oil but feel free to use any oil of your
choice.
- Red wine
vinegar.
- Fresh
lemon juice.
- Bay
leaves.
- Dried
oregano.
- Smoked
paprika.
- Salt and
black pepper.
- Sugar.
How to make
peri-peri sauce
Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food
processor and blend into a smooth paste. I like using smoked paprika, oregano,
bay leaves and lemon to add flavor but feel free to play around with other
herbs like rosemary or thyme.
Transfer the blended paste to a saucepan and bring to
a gentle simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Taste and adjust
seasoning as needed. You want the sauce to be fiery but well balanced with
salt, sugar and acid.
Transfer to jars or an airtight container and allow to
cool completely before storing in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Can I make this
in advance?
You can store the cooked sauce in the refrigerator for
up to 3 weeks in an airtight container or jar and it can be frozen for up to 3
months. Transfer the sauce to freezer-safe containers before freezing.
How to serve
peri-peri sauce
The best way to use this delicious sauce is by
slathering a chicken with it and grilling it over a wood fire until the skin is
dark, crisp and gnarly from the chillies (and is inspired by a classic Nando’s
chicken). It’s also amazing on shrimp/prawns, chicken wings, pork or beef. But
as I said, it’s a pretty versatile sauce and can be used in marinades, dipping
sauces or dressings and I even add small amount to sauces, stews and other
dishes to add not only a spicy kick but also serious depth of flavor. And once
you’ve made this you’ll find it hard not to crave it and put it on/in
everything. You’ve been warned.
Easy sauce
recipes
Home-made Peri-Peri sauceDeeply flavorful African peri-peri sauce made with bird’s eye chillies, onions, peppers, garlic & lemons. This sauce is a must-have for spicy food lovers.
Ingredients
- 2 red onions peeled and roughly
chopped
- 1 head of garlic cloves peeled
and roughly chopped
- 1 cup African bird’s eye
chillies stems removed
- 2 red bell peppers seeds removed
and roughly chopped
- 3 ripe tomatoes skins removed and
roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- juice and zest of 3 lemons
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Instructions
1.
Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor/blender and mix
until all the ingredients are finely chopped and the mixture is quite saucy.
2. Transfer to a saucepan over
medium heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent
the sauce from burning.
3. After 20 minutes, check the
seasoning and adjust. The sauce should be well balanced with a good kick of
spice and sourness from the lemon and vinegar.
4. Pour into jars/bottles and keep
in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
If you’d like to
preserve this sauce, make sure your jars/bottles are well sterilized. Fill them
to the top with the sauce and seal immediately.
Nutrition