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Egyptian shatta
Fresh red chilli sauce
Shatta: Cairo's fiery fresh red chilli sauce with garlic and vinegar, splashed on koshari and ful
Squeeze bottles of shatta stand on the tables of every koshari shop in downtown Cairo, and diners shake in as much as they dare along with the garlic vinegar. The Egyptian version is a fresh, bright, loose sauce of red chillies blended with garlic, vinegar, cumin and a little oil, quite unlike the dried-chilli shata of Sudan. It goes with ful, falafel, lentil soup, roast potatoes and almost any sandwich. Wear gloves when handling the chillies and keep your hands away from your eyes; capsaicin on the fingers is the classic mistake, and it lasts for hours. Chef's tip: a brief simmer after blending takes the raw edge off the garlic and lets the sauce keep for two weeks in the fridge.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz fresh red chilliesstems removed; a mix of hot and milder ones
- 4 cloves garlicpeeled
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
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What you'll need
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put on gloves, roughly chop 5 ½ oz fresh red chillies and remove some of the seeds if you want a milder sauce.
Step 2: Blend the chillies with 4 cloves garlic, ¼ cup white vinegar, ½ tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp salt until fairly smooth, scraping down the sides.
2 minStep 3: Warm 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a small pan over a medium-low heat, add the chilli purée and simmer, stirring, until it darkens slightly and smells less raw. Don't lean over the pan: the fumes sting.
4 minStep 4: Take off the heat, stir in 1 tbsp lemon juice if using, and cool. Store in a clean jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 15 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 2 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does egyptian shatta take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of white vinegar?
- Cider vinegar or rice vinegar, same amount.
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