Homemade piri-piri sauce takes about ten minutes and tastes far better than anything in a bottle. In many Portuguese homes it sits on the table year-round in a repurposed bottle, next to the olive oil, ready for absolutely everything.
True Portuguese piri-piri sauce isn’t the fiery, vinegar-forward hot sauce Americans sometimes expect; it’s more of an infused, garlicky chili oil, built on African bird’s eye chilies that Portuguese sailors brought back centuries ago and that became fully woven into Portuguese cooking, especially in dishes with roots in Mozambique and Angola. It’s meant to season, not just to burn.
It goes on grilled chicken, our Portuguese Piri-Piri Chicken (recipe on the site), roasted potatoes, even a fried egg. It is also fantastic brushed on Sardinhas Assadas (recipe on the site) right before they come off the grill.
Molho Piri-Piri Caseiro Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 fresh red bird’s eye chilies (or piri-piri chilies if you can find them), stemmed
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- If you like your sauce with some texture, roughly chop the chilies; for a smoother sauce, leave them whole, they’ll break down more in blending.
- Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat until just warm to the touch, not simmering. Add the chilies, garlic, and bay leaf, and let steep off the heat for 10 minutes to take the raw edge off the garlic.
- Transfer the chili mixture (minus the bay leaf) to a blender or food processor with the lemon juice, smoked paprika, and salt. Blend until mostly smooth, with just a little texture remaining.
- Pour into a clean glass jar or bottle and add the bay leaf back in. For the best flavor, refrigerate for at least 3 days before using, though it’s usable the same day in a pinch.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, shaking before each use as the oil and solids will separate.
Enjoy our recipes? Add Maria’s Cookbook as a preferred source on Google to see more of our content in your search results.
