Homemade African Pepper Sauce enjoys the flavors of habanero, garlic, onion, basil, and other spices. This versatile sauce makes a great condiment, dip, and appetizer component.
In West Africa, pepper sauce is an essential partner for puff-puff, grilled meat, fish, and eggs. Actually, it’s splendid with any food. Something about pepper sauce takes a dish from bland to flavorful and enjoyable. As you might have guessed, pepper sauce is delightfully hot because of the spicy blend of hot peppers.
Although ingredients vary from one cook to another, one thing is constant—hot peppers. You can use so many kinds of pepper in this sauce: habanero, scotch bonnet, serrano, jalapenos, and more.
My preferred chili pepper is my beloved scotch bonnet. However, habanero peppers are a good replacement if that’s what you have available. Fresh hot peppers are the biggest difference between hot sauce and African-style pepper sauce.
Content…How Hot to Make It |
How Hot to Make African Red Pepper Sauce
The most authentic West African pepper sauce I’ve had the pleasure of trying contains a negligible amount of vinegar if any at all. The basic ingredients are peppers, salt, vegetable oil, and Maggi, ranging from mild to ferociously hot with a thick texture.
In this sauce, I added extra tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, and parsley to create a versatile sauce that makes a fantastic condiment or dip. Adjust the tomatoes to suit your taste buds and spice tolerance, or omit them.
Ingredient List
- Hot peppers are a given. While I love scotch bonnet peppers, you can use habaneros, Thai chili, red jalapenos, or any other hot pepper you love. Feel free to replace it with a sweet red pepper (aji dulce or red bell pepper) for a milder sauce while keeping the red color.
- Seasonings – Onion, garlic, bouillon powder (either chicken or beef Maggi is my go-to), basil, and parsley add intense flavor. You can leave out the bouillon powder for a vegan version.
- Roma tomatoes bulk up your sauce without adding extra heat.
- Vegetable oil brings it all together and provides a smooth texture. Olive oil or sunflower oil also works well.
How to Make African Pepper Sauce
- Puree Veggies – Coarsely chop the tomatoes and onions, and discard the pepper stems. Then, puree the tomatoes, onions, garlic, pepper, parsley, basil, and bouillon powder in a food processor with as much oil as needed to make a thickish puree. (Photo 1)
- Simmer – Pour the pepper mixture into a small saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and slowly simmer for about 15 minutes—stirring frequently to prevent burning. Adjust seasonings for salt. (Photo 2)
- Serve – Let it cool, pour it into a mason jar or a container with a lid, and store it in a fridge for up to a week. For your pepper sauce to last longer, fully cover it with oil.
Recipe Notes and Variations
- Lacto-fermented. With fermenting your own veggies becoming the rage, why not try it with pepper sauce? Replace the oil with brine from previously fermented veggies and store the puree in a glass jar on the countertop for 6-8 hours. Keep it in the fridge, and it should last 2-3 months.
- Make it milder by replacing some hot peppers with milder ones like red bell or sweet banana peppers.
- Another way to make pepper sauce is to simmer the ingredients in a little water for about 15 minutes, then puree with oil and serve.
How to Use African Pepper Sauce
Ramp up your favorite stews and soups (or other spicy dishes) with a spoonful of this goodness. Jamaican stew peas, African chicken stew, Instant Pot beef stew, Ethiopian lentils, and fish stew all enjoy having this sauce in them.
More Amazing Sauce Recipes to Try
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in October 2013 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
African Pepper Sauce
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Ingredients
- 10 hot peppers (habaneros, scotch bonnet peppers, Thai chili, etc.)
- 1 medium onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons (20g) bouillon powder or Maggi
- 2 basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons (7-8g) parsley
- 1-3 Roma tomatoes, adjust the amount to taste
- ½-1 cup (118-236ml) vegetable oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Coarsely chop the tomatoes and onions, and discard the pepper stems. Then, puree the tomatoes, onions, garlic, pepper, parsley, basil, and bouillon powder in a food processor with as much oil as needed to make a thickish puree.
- Pour the pepper mixture into a small saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and slowly simmer for about 15 minutes—stirring frequently to prevent burning. Adjust seasonings for salt.
- Let it cool, pour it into a mason jar or a container with a lid, and store it in a fridge for up to a week. For your pepper sauce to last longer, fully cover it with oil.
Tips & Notes:
- Make it milder by replacing some hot peppers with milder ones like red bell or sweet banana peppers.
- Another way to make pepper sauce is to boil the ingredients with a little water for about 15 minutes, then blend with oil and serve.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
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