Table of Contents
African pepper sauce is a spicy sauce that will transform any dish from just okay to amazingly delicious!
It is primarily made with habanero, garlic, onion, basil, and other spices. A versatile sauce that can be used as a condiment, dip, or appetizer component.
In West Africa, pepper sauce is an essential partner for puff-puff, grilled meat, fish, and eggs, or splendid with any food.
There is just something about pepper sauce that takes a dish from bland, boring to flavorful and enjoyable.
As you might have guessed pepper sauce is sparklingly hot because of the refreshing taste of the hot pepper used in the blend.
It is so easy to make and also very spicy!
Pepper Sauce Recipe
Although the ingredients vary with the cook one thing is constant, – Hot pepper.
You can use so many kinds of pepper in this sauce; habanero, scotch bonnet, chili—one huge difference between hot sauce and pepper sauce ( African style).
The basic ingredients usually consist of pepper, salt, vegetable oil, and or Maggi, ranging from mild to ferocious with a thick structure.
Notes and Variations
- Adjusting spice levels. Most West African pepper sauces are FIERY! This is due to habanero peppers. You can easily adjust this down by taking seeds out of the habanero, reducing the number of habanero peppers, or leaving them out entirely!
- Additional seasoning. This sauce is super versatile because it doesn’t have any additional seasoning (so for instance, I can add bouillon or stock cubes to make this work for Jollof rice or add basil to make a pasta sauce). You can add another seasoning for extra flavor if you wish.
Storage Suggestions
You can store the sauce in the fridge for up to a week regardless of whether you use water or oil in the base.
If you want to store it for longer, I suggest using oil and topping off the container with a thin layer of oil to make sure it avoids all contact with air. This way, it’ll last 2-3 weeks.
You can also freeze this sauce for up to 4 to 6 months! Just make sure to portion and place it in a freezer-safe container.
Don’t forget to leave a comment and a star rating if you made this recipe. Enjoy!
African Pepper Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 4 red bell peppers
- 3 habanero peppers
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- ½ onion
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Remove the stems and remove the seeds of the bell peppers. Chop into quarters. Remove the stem of the habanero peppers. Add to a blender or food processor with 3 tomatoes, half a yellow onion, and either ½ cup of water or oil (depending on the type of sauce you want).
- Blend or pulse to your desired consistency. Traditionally, the sauce is a bit coarse, so I pulse for a minute. If you want it smoother, you can also just blend it.
- Transfer to a medium pot, and simmer on a low-medium flame for about 20-30 minutes. If you used oil, it will float to the top when its done cooking. If you just used water, the sauce will reduce by half to the desired consistency.
- Turn off the stove when all the water has evaporated - store in an air tight container in a fridge and use for up to a week! If you want to store for longer, make sure to top off the sauce with oil so it avoids all contact with air.
Notes
I keep my sauce seasoning free so it can take on flavors best suited to the dish I make with the sauce (e.g. more bold curry-type flavors for jollof rice, or more Italian flavors for pasta) - you're welcome to add seasoning to the sauce after it parboils!
You can store the sauce in the fridge for up to a week regardless of whether you use water or oil in the base. If you want to store it for longer, I suggest using oil, and topping off the container with a thin layer of oil to make sure it avoids all contact with air. This way, it'll last 2-3 weeks. You can also freeze this sauce for up to 4 to 6 months!
Nutrition