Homemade peri peri sauce is a recipe that you must try if you want to enhance and liven your normal cooking. This vibrant sauce uses red pepper, garlic, fresh herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil, and is delicious. The entire preparation takes about 20 minutes and will elevate your boring snacks and meals to a whole new level.
What I particularly like about making this sauce at home is the freedom to control its spice level. You can keep it mildly hot with Kashmiri red chillies or turn up the heat by adding a few stronger varieties. Either way, having a jar in the refrigerator makes it easy to add flavour whenever a dish feels a little ordinary.
What Is Peri Peri Sauce?
The term peri peri is also referred to as piri piri or pili pili, which denotes not only an African type of bird’s eye chili but also a hot sauce associated with it. It is used in cooking as a seasoning related to both African and Portuguese cuisines, known for its pleasant combination of heat from the chili, garlic, and acidity.
The bird’s eye chilli is considerably hotter than a jalapeño, so the sauce can become fiery depending on the peppers used. However, you do not need extremely hot chillies to prepare a tasty homemade version. Kashmiri red chillies are a good choice because they provide a beautiful red colour and comparatively gentle heat.
Ingredients Required
For one small jar, you will need:
11–12 dried red Kashmiri chillies
7–8 medium garlic cloves
¼ cup chopped coriander leaves or parsley
¼ cup olive oil or neutral-flavoured vegetable oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt according to taste
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes (optional)
You can replace lemon juice with approximately ½ tablespoon vinegar. If you prefer additional heat, add a little cayenne pepper or red chilli powder.
How to Make Homemade Peri Peri Sauce
Step 1: Prepare the chillies. Remove the stems from the dried red chillies. Break or slit them open and shake out the seeds.You need to wash chilies before adding them to boiling water for around 15-20 minutes for softening and mixing purpose.
Step 2: It’s time to prepare the remaining ingredients by peeling the garlic and dicing it. Wash and chop the coriander. Have all the weighing done in advance so that you don’t have to stop and measure while cooking.
Step 3: Mix everything. Transfer the softened chillies into a blender or food processor. Add the garlic, fresh herbs, salt and optional chilli flakes.
Step 4: You can achieve the desired creaminess and acidity ready for any dish with the use of fresh lemon juice and olive oil.
Step 5: Blend ingredients in a mixer until smooth and Uniform. You will need to continue mixing until a smooth sauce is achieved from what you have. If you want a thinner sauce, just add more oil and mix again.
Step 6: The sauce needs to be stored correctly. Transfer the prepared sauce into a clean, airtight container and refrigerate it. Always use a clean spoon when serving.
Easy Ways to Enjoy Peri Peri Sauce
This sauce is much more versatile than a simple dipping condiment. Serve it with French fries, potato wedges, vegetable cutlets, spring rolls or momos. It also works beautifully as a marinade for paneer, tofu, mushrooms, cauliflower, potatoes and capsicum.
For a quick meal upgrade, stir a teaspoon or two into fried rice or vegetable noodles. You can also spread a little over pizza, sandwiches, wraps and pita bread. Personally, I would recommend pairing it with grilled paneer or roasted vegetables, as the smoky flavours complement the chilli and garlic particularly well.
Tips, Variations and Storage
Be open to trying out different kinds of red chilies, but be mindful of how spicy they are. Using a mixture of hot and mild chilies gives a great mixture of color and spice. Use parsley in place of coriander, and vinegar instead of lemon juice.
This sauce can be kept in the refrigerator and consumed in about two weeks. Freezing is another option for longer storage, potentially up to six months. For best results, divide it into small portions so you only thaw what you need.
Homemade Peri Peri sauce is simple, adaptable and full of character. Once you have tried it, you may find yourself reaching for it whenever a meal needs an extra burst of flavour.
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