Piri-Piri Sauce is a blend of African bird’s eye chili that is mostly grown in African countries. It is sour, a little sweet and slightly salty- making it a really complex and versatile sauce that you can use on almost anything.
African bird’s eye chili, or Peri Peri is a hot pepper that is grown in most African countries. According to Wekipedia, It grows mainly in Malawi, Zambia, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. I would add Cameroon too! It goes under different aliases depending on the country
Although this is pepper has it’s root it Africa, it was imported to Portugal from African Portuguese colonies. Today, most of the hot sauces in Portugal are referred to as peri peri- Swahili word for hot.
This is my version of this hot sauce, is made with hot chili pepper that I got from one of the Asian vendors, at my local farmers market. They carry so many fresh produce (vegetables, fruits that are hard to get)- Check out your vendors at the farmers market. You can purchase this pepper in North America, at Asian, Hispanic and some Indian markets or just use Jalapeno peppers.
Here, the chilies are blended together with fresh garlic, jalapeno pepper, red pepper, basil, onions and oregano. It is then mix with smoked paprika, salt, lemon and olive oil. It is sour, a little sweet and slightly salty- making it a really complex and versatile sauce that you can use on almost anything. The good thing is you can adjust the pepper to suit your heat level. If you are a heat seeker then double the peppers!!!
Now, if you are one of those people (lots of them in my family) that do not like acidity in your pepper sauce then this is not for you. However, I got you covered with this!
African sauce here will rock your life your life. If you are grilling this summer be sure to have this sauce handy it will rock your summer.
Piri-Piri Sauce is a blend of African bird's eye chili that is mostly grown in African countries. It is sour, a little sweet and slightly salty- making it a really complex and versatile sauce that you can use on almost anything.
- Ingredients
- 1- cup olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- ½ medium red pepper
- 2-3 fresh jalapeno peppers coarsely chopped, seeds removed
- 6 fresh chili pepper or more coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste.
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 5-6 garlic cloves
- Juice of I medium sized lemon adjust to taste
- 4 large basil leaves
- 1-2 tablespoon fresh oregano
- ¼ cup dark vinegar optional
- Blend red pepper, jalapeno pepper, chilli pepper, garlic, basil , oregano, and onions in a food processor or blender. Add olive oil to facilitate blending. Then mix in smoked paprika, lemon juice black or white pepper and vinegar. Adjust for salt and seasoning. Refrigerate and use when ready
I’m from Africa, made peri peri many times and used to own a peri peri chicken take away. I appreciate that everyone will have their own version but I can assure you that basil and oregano are not traditional ingredients.
Thank You Stuart, I appreciate that information.
Exactly because black people don’t traditionally use those two in Africa and the Caribbean. So you are absolutely right.
I was recently in Mozambique. I absolutely fell in love with the food. In addition to piri piri chicken was potatoes, matapa, and the most delicious bread I have ever eaten. It was so light, not bloating. I have been searching the internet for this bread. Do you know this bread or have a recipe. I think it is called Pao or Portuguese bread. It’s hard to find a reliable recipe online with English measurements. Please help! I’ve been jonesing this bread since I’ve been home
well the only pourtuguese very light fluffy bread I know are paposeco. They are amazing
Goan Portuguese bread ‘Poi’ made from wheat and bran
Top notch recipe. Love it. I did not have red pepper, so I used red and green jalapenos (no seeds) for substitution.
It still came out great. Thank you for sharing.
Awesome, thanks for the feedback.
My family is from Portugal and Brasil. My mother gave me seeds from Peri Peri plants that she brought back from Brasil 30 years ago. I’ve been growing them yearly and use them to make sauce. All my friends beg us for bottles. I use white vinegar to preserve the peppers and blend them as I open up new jars. They last for years in the fridge this way.
Thanks for sharing!!!!
Pass me your recipe plz…
I’m trying out your recipe as we speak and my 2 year old daughter saw your picture while I was reading the recipe and she says “that’s moana”. She loves the movie moana and you must have reminded her of moana xoxo had to tell you that! Thanks so much for the recipe ! I loveee trying new dishes and so do my 2 year old twins and my man ❤️
Oh that’s so sweet ,I’ll take that ! Love watching Moana with my niece . Thanks for taking time out to share this with me . Hope your daughter enjoys this as much as she enjoys Moana. Happy Cooking!!!
Hello,
I made this over the weekend and love it! Thank you for sharing a great recipe! I am unable to find bird’s eye chilies but I did find Thai red chilies at my local Asian market. I used parsley instead of basil, and omitted the red bell pepper. Only hot peppers in our house. We like it hot! Such a simple sauce yet SO versatile! I’ve already used it on chicken and shrimp and I have a hundred more ideas on what to use this on. One question, you mentioned in response to another commenter that you cook it when you are serving it with grilled chicken. Does that mean that you cook the sauce and serve it on the side with grilled chicken? Or are you cooking it, cooling it, then using it as a marinade for the grilled chicken? I noticed a piri piri chicken on your site as well, so I thought you would marinate the chicken in the sauce as it is.
Thank you. And thank you for answering my other questions as to a couple other of your recipes.
Hello! You can certainly use the peri peri sauce to marinate the chicken as is – if you are a heat seeker. For the peri peri chicken, I toned it down to accommodate those who love spicy food but not so much the heat . Yes, I cook the peri peri sauce and serve it with chicken . Really is great as a sauce on the side.
I made your piri piri recipe and used it to make whole shrimp. I sautéed them after marinating them overnight and serviced them over basmati rice. Absolutely wonderful! It’s to bad I can’t post the lovely photo I took of it. 🙁
Thank you for the recipe and I am SO glad I found this site!
I am SO HAPPY to hear you enjoyed this John. Would have loved to see the lovely picture.. maybe next time. So glad to have you here.
Hi Immaculate!
My pepper harvest is in full swing and I’m making your piri-piri today. I wanted to ask you which type dark vinegar do you use in your recipe?
Thank you,
Anna
Hi Anna, I use whatever I have on hand . Really doesn’t make much of a difference to me.
your ingredient list calls for bay leaves but you dont mention them in the instructions. When should they be added?
It’s basil not bay leaves.
If it’s Portuguese, it should be bay leaves, not basil.
Amazing flavor, but it’s SO HOT!!! I didn’t really expect anything different really, after all, this is almost nothing but hot peppers, onion and garlic 🙂 My hands stung for a while after, and I couldn’t wash the spicy taste off of them even after four or five washings with soap. I hope my husband and father-in-law will like it, but when I make it again for myself (and I definitely will), I will make it with mostly paprika and maybe a hint of chili pepper 🙂 I’m a wuss, I know 🙂
A lot of other recipes for peri-peri say to cook the sauce after blending. Have you tried that? I wonder if it would taste very different…
Yes, it does taste different. I usually cook it when serving with grill chicken.
I am a wuss too! So I do the same thing. When am making it for my self . Just a hint of chili pepper. But when am stressed the hotter the better. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Hello! A friend gave me a Portugal Hot Pepper plant this spring and it has lots of peppers that are just starting to turn red now! I’ve read that this variety has medium heat and a touch of sweetness. I think it would be good in a piri piri sauce. I’m also growing jalapeño peppers and later this summer will have Trinidad Perfume peppers (sweet and citrusy but no heat). Would adding something sweet ruin the flavor of this recipe? I like a more mild hot sauce, but am trying to slowly raise my heat tolerance. 🙂
The purist will say No. But I say Why Not. I have before. Annd loved it! But it wasn’t well received by others(Heat Seekers). If you do let me know how it works out for you.Thanks
I absolutely love peppers and grow so many varieties that I can’t count them all. ***helpful hint*** Stop by the market and purchase a giant bottle of cheap/plain mustard. In the U.S.A. we call it hot dog mustard. Be sure to set the mustard in the fridge so it will be very cold. When your hands begin that all too familiar burn submerge each hand into a bowl of the mustard. It feels so wonderful.
I start out wearing gloves, but they never last long because the peppers always seem to melt them. ha!
Thanks for sharing Annabella!
Try lemon juice on your hands to take the spiciness away.
absolutely sensational, used Ghost chilli and only needed 2 as mine are extremely HOT
AWESOME!!!!!
Hey There!
All the recipes I have read didn’t have this many pepper additions. Is there any tasteful rhyme or reason to this? Also will or is there a big taste difference if you use garlic powder over real garlic?
Thanks
Hi Rai! When making pepper sauce , you add according to your heat tolerance. Some more, some less- adjust to taste. There will be a subtle difference not overwhelmingly.
Hi Immaculate,
I am a huge fan of african cuisine and came across your blog searching the web.
I have to say that it made my day. This sauce is by far the best I have ever tried. Really.
Can’t wait to try your other recipes! Greetings from Spain! 🙂
Hi Guillermo.
You made my day too! Thanks for taking the time to comment – SUPER EXCITED you dig African food and you are here. Can’t wait to see what other recipes you try!
I’m sooooo psyched to find this recipe! I had a Cameroon friend who made this for me for years, then she moved out of state about 3 years ago, I have been looking for it ever since. Now I can make my own! Thanks!
Thanks for this!
How long will this last in the refrigerator?
The longest I have kept it is 2 weeks so cannot say for sure.
One teaspoon fresh ground pepper. Is it black pepper or which kind of pepper
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper.
This comment belongs to your later post about mangoes. If you can find them, try champagne mangoes – much the sweetest I’ve found but not often available.
Thanks Niki, I will be on the look out .
Westindya, I am so glad you here and taking the time to comment . Let me know how it works for you,
just discovered your blog! oh, what i’ve been missing! absolutely making the piri-piri this weekend. we call them “bird peppers” where I’m from and I am happy to find this awesome hot sauce recipe!
cheers!