Home-made Peri-Peri sauce

Name: Home-made Peri-Peri sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
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

May 23, 2022 by Alida Ryder 78 Comments

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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.

I hope you’re ready for a bit of fiery, kick ass condiment Heaven because I’m serving it up big time today. This home-made peri-peri sauce recipe is the bomb and you should have a jar in your fridge at all times.

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

Blend: Combine onions, garlic, African bird’s eye chillies, olive oil, vinegar, bell peppers, tomatoes and seasoning 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.
Cook: 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.
Store: 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.

Recipe ideas:

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