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Piri-piri sauce
Piri-piri chilli sauce
Molho de piri-piri: Mozambique's fiery bird's-eye chilli, garlic and lemon table sauce
Every barraca on the Costa do Sol in Maputo keeps a bottle of this on the table, and nobody eats grilled prawns, chicken or a bread roll stuffed with chips without a shake of it. Fresh red bird's-eye chillies are blended with raw garlic, lemon juice and oil into a loose, orange-red sauce that is sharp, bright and very hot, with a slow burn that builds after the first bite. A short simmer softens the raw garlic edge and helps it keep in the fridge for two weeks. Spoon it onto grills, seafood, beans, eggs or rice, or loosen it with more oil and use it as a baste. Wear gloves when you trim the chillies and keep your face away from the blender when you open it, because the fumes sting. Chef's tip: leave the seeds in for true Mozambican heat, but pull the green stalks off, as they turn the sauce bitter.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ oz fresh red bird's-eye chilliesstalks removed
- 6 cloves garlicpeeled
- ¼ cup lemon juicefrom about 2 lemons
- ½ cup sunflower oil
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (2)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put on gloves and pull the stalks off the 1 ¾ oz fresh red bird's-eye chillies. Roughly chop them with the 6 cloves garlic.
Step 2: Blend the chillies, garlic, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sweet paprika in a small blender until you have a coarse, even paste.
1 minStep 3: With the motor running, pour in the ½ cup sunflower oil in a thin stream until the sauce looks glossy and loosely emulsified.
1 minStep 4: Tip it into a small pan and bring to a bare simmer over a low heat, stirring, then let it bubble gently until the raw garlic smell softens and the colour deepens slightly. Don't let it boil hard or the chillies scorch.
3 minStep 5: Cool, then pour into a clean jar. Shake before using; keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 2 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does piri-piri sauce take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 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 lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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