Shito (Black Pepper Sauce)

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Shito or black pepper sauce is the most authentic of all sauces originating from Ghana. It is so versatile and can be paired with literally any meal of your choice. Even bread! And the best part about this sauce is that, when fried really well, it can last for weeks or months on your shelf without refrigeration and can be carried along to any place of your choice when packed in portable containers. In case you’re still wondering what you can eat this sauce with, let me help you: most rice dishes (fried rice, jollof, braised rice), waakye, banku, kenkey, gari, fried yams or fried ripe plantains, the meat just to name a few.

Ingredients Used in Making Shito

The ingredients needed to make shito are listed below;

• 1.5 liters Vegetable Oil
• 1-2 cups Powdered pepper 
• 2 cups Smoked Herrings
• 2 cups Smoked Shrimps
• 2-3 medium-sized Onions
• 3-4 thumb-sized Ginger
• 1 Stock tablet
• Salt

This sauce is one of a kind and can be used to eat so many meals across West Africa. You should try it.

Shito (Black Pepper Sauce)

Shito or black pepper sauce is the most authentic of all sauces originating from Ghana. It is so versatile and can be paired with literally any meal of your choice

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Sauce

Cuisine Ghanaian

Servings 0

Ingredients

  

• 1.5 Litres Vegetable Oil
• 2 Cups Powdered pepper
• 2 Cups Smoked Herrings
• 2 Cups Smoked Shrimps
• 3 pcs Medium sized Onions
• 4 Pcs Thumb-sized Ginger
• Salt
• 1 pc Stock Tablet

Instructions

 

• Blend or grind the herrings and shrimps into a either a smooth or rough consistency (based on your preference)
  2 Cups Smoked Herrings, 2 Cups Smoked Shrimps
• Blend the onions and ginger together with some oil (this will prevent splashes when you’re cooking)You can add garlic if you want
  3 pcs Medium sized Onions, 4 Pcs Thumb-sized Ginger
• Pour the powdered pepper, blended herrings and shrimps into a big bowl and mix. Add a little water to the bowl and stir till you arrive at a very thick paste. (It shouldn’t be watery)
  2 Cups Powdered pepper
• In a pot, heat up about 800 ml of oil for about 3-5 minutes on medium heat. Add the blended onions and ginger to the oil and cook for about 20 minutes.
  1.5 Litres Vegetable Oil
• add the powdered pepper, herrings and shrimp paste to the pot and keep stirring to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pot.
• Add the stock tablet to the pot and taste. You can add salt to adjust the taste to suit your preference
  Salt, 1 pc Stock Tablet
• Turn off the heat and allow the shito to cool off. It’s advisable to dish out the shito into a glass jar, bowl or container and cover tightly. A plastic jar works fine too but a glass jar is preferable.

Notes

Store the shito in a cool and dry place and it will last for as long as possible provided it is cooked really well.

An important point to note is that always use a clean and dry spoon to fetch the shito. Using a wet spoon will make it go bad in no time.

Keyword ghana food, shito

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