Can I start by saying “woot woot!”? January is the month I go digging into the back of my fridge and pull out a six month old packed litre jar of fermented bird’s eye chilies (my home grown piri-piri chilies) to make my fermented piri-piri sauce. Alas, there is no jar in my fridge. Last year’s crop was so meager that I just froze the chillies for individual use.
Sure, I have other recipes. I’m the girl that carries piri-piri in my purse just I case I run into food that needs rescuing.. I’m also the girl that takes an oversized lunch bag to work that accommodates various condiments including piri-piri. Never underestimate the power of a great hot sauce as a “pick me up” during a stressful day. It’s also fulfilling to be able to share one’s piri-piri with the more adventurous colleagues. Yes, I’ll share my special sauce!
When I saw this recipe, I wasn’t immediately convinced that this would be a great hot sauce. It included olive oil and only used 4 to 8 chilies. I thawed 8 of my bird’s eye chilies on paper towel so as to absorb the extra moisture. Five minutes later, I was a convert! I used my blender instead of the food processor as I have a jar just for sauces (of course I do!).
150 ml of olive oil seemed to get me the right consistency. It also emulsified the sauce so that the end result was a creamy, pleasantly hot, with a hint of lemon garlic flavour.
Straining was never a consideration. The tiny flecks of chilies just added dimension and interest to the sauce.
My first uses were little dabs in espresso spoons to confirm the sauce deserved a piri-piri title.. (wink).. I also generously doused chicken thighs in this sauce, smeared it on toasted sandwich bread, used it as a bed for smoked mackerel, and made a second batch for a couple of gifts. On day 5 of refrigeration, this piri-piri sauce remained emulsified in a soft congealed state. 5 minutes at room temperature and a quick shake of the jar brought the sauce back to free flowing and uniformly emulsified. The fact that it keeps in the refrigerator for a month means little to me as it will never last that long. Muah!