Peri Peri Sauce – Bring Nando’s home

I won’t lie, this recipe does rely on finding good fresh chillies, which, if you have lived in Germany for long enough, you know is not easy. I have been able to find some great stores around Berlin and brands like Nature’s Pride, which means I can always find decently hot chillies whenever I want to make this sauce.

The sauce, usually made with bird’s eye chillies, is a result of trade between the Portuguese Empire and with South and East Asia. It is a loved condiment in most of Southern Africa and, thanks to the South African franchise Nando’s, is now popular in more places all over the world.

If you have never had peri peri, it is best described as a flavourful sauce that happens to be hot. You can have anything from just a herby lemony sauce to extra hot, depending on your preference, without losing the magic that this condiment brings to your plate. I prefer mine hotter, but I can only go as hot as the chillies I can find.

The recipe has 2 parts. The first part makes the peri-marinade. This goes great on chicken, left in the marinade for about 2 hours and then grilled on an open flame (or in the oven, if you must). The second part makes the sauce. This you can use to baste the aforementioned chicken, you can bottle it too or use it in a sauce, like one you cook some chicken livers in.

Whether you choose to mix it into mayo and make peri-naise for your chips or spread it straight on your eggs, this Southern African sauce is versatile, delicious, and easy to make. Give it a go and let me know how you like it.

Peri Peri marinade and sauce

A flavourful and flexible Southern African spicy sauce

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 7 minutes mins

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Southern African

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

Peri-marinade

• 80-100 g chillies Adjust to taste
• 1 Medium onion
• 4-6 cloves garlic
• 2 Red paprika (bell pepper, capsicum, etc)
• 2 Bay leaves
• 12-14 stalks Fresh thyme Take the leaves off the stalks
• 3 tbs Paprika
• 3 tbs Tomato paste
• 1 lemon zested
• 1/2 lemon juice Keep the other half aside
• 1 tbs White vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Peri-sauce (to be added to the marinade)

• 1/2 lemon juice
• 3 tbs Butter or margarine
• 1 pinch sugar if needed

Equipment

• 1 Food processor or blender The more powerful the machine, the quicker it comes together
• 1 pot Same volume as your food processor
• 2-3 jars Or bottles, to put your finished sauce in
• 1 Sharp knife
• 1 Cutting board
• 1-2 Disposable glove Optional but recommended

Method

 

Peri-Marinade

1. Chop the tops off the chillies and add them to the food processor
   
2. Chop the onions smaller and peel your garlic cloves and throw them in too.
   
3. Chop up the peppers a bit and then add them and the rest of the ingredients.
   
4. Blend until smooth, stopping periodically to scrape the sides.
   
5. At this point, you can use this as your marinade.

Peri-sauce

1. Transfer the marinade from the food processor to the pot
   
2. Cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
3. Take off the heat and add your butter or margarine.
4. At this point, you can taste it to see if the acidity level is correct. If you find it too acidic, add the pinch of sugar.
5. If you are making the chicken, keep some aside to baste your chicken.
6. The rest should be allowed to cool before bottling.