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Hot Peri Peri Sauce

Hot, homemade peri peri sauce to add heat and flavor to your everyday dishes. This easy-to-make spicy sauce is the perfect addition to lots of dishes.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings: 20
Calories: 38 kcal
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: African , Portuguese , South African

Ingredients

  • 2 red bell peppers large, about 1 lb, Note 1
  • 6-7 long red chilies Notes 2, 3
  • 2 onions medium, white or red
  • 7 garlic cloves
  • ½ lemon zest and juice, Note 4
  • 60 ml apple cider vinegar ¼ cup
  • 60 ml olive oil ¼ cup
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • small bunch of cilantro optional, Note 5

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Process: Deseed and cut the bell peppers and chilies into pieces. Chop onion and garlic roughly. Process them shortly in the food processor until chopped but not completely mushy. Transfer them to a large saucepan.
  2. Combine: Add lemon zest and juice, vinegar, olive oil, sweet and smoked paprika, oregano, pepper, and salt. Stir well to combine.
  3. Cook: Bring the sauce to a boil, lower the heat and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the sauce thicker. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides of the saucepan to prevent the sauce from catching.
  4. Adjust the taste with salt, vinegar, and lemon juice if required. Add the chopped cilantro.
  5. Blend the sauce with an immersion blender until it has the desired consistency; it should not be completely smooth. Alternatively, use the food processor but read Note 6 first.
  6. Transfer to jars and let cool completely. After cooling, keep the sauce refrigerated; it will keep for about 2-3 weeks. You can also freeze it (Note 7).

Notes

  • If you want the sauce to be milder, add one extra red bell pepper and use only 4-5 red chilies.
  • The original sauce is made with bird’s eye chilies, which are unavailable around here. That is why I use long red chilies, which are hot but not as hot as bird’s eye chilies.
  • 6-7 long red chilies (depending on size) make a very hot sauce. If you leave the seeds inside, the sauce will be even hotter; remove the seeds fully or partially. Replace some of the chilies with red bell peppers for a milder version.
  • Keep the other lemon half; you might need it to adjust the taste of the sauce after cooking.
  • Cilantro is not a universally loved herb. Use to your taste, leave it out, or replace it with parsley.
  • Caution when blending hot food in the food processor. Do it in batches, place a folded kitchen towel on the lid (hold it with your hand), and increase the speed gradually. Otherwise, you risk the lid actually “exploding” off the food processor. Using an immersion blender for hot liquids/food is probably the best idea.
  • If freezing, don’t fill the jars to the brim, the sauce will expand during freezing, and if the jars are too full, they will crack.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1g Calories 38kcal (2%) Carbohydrates 3g (1%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 3g (5%) Saturated Fat 0.4g (2%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g Monounsaturated Fat 2g Sodium 230mg (10%) Potassium 79mg (2%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 252IU (5%) Vitamin C 22mg (24%) Calcium 12mg (1%) Iron 0.4mg (2%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 20Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 38

% Daily Value*

Serving 1g
Calories 38kcal 2%
Carbohydrates 3g 1%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 3g 5%
Saturated Fat 0.4g 2%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g 2%
Monounsaturated Fat 2g 10%
Sodium 230mg 10%
Potassium 79mg 2%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 252IU 5%
Vitamin C 22mg 24%
Calcium 12mg 1%
Iron 0.4mg 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.