Molho de Piri Piri

May 19, 2021

Molho de Piri Piri - kvalifood.com

Molho de piri piri is Portuguese hot sauce – an oil-based condiment of dried bird’s eye chiles, garlic, and vinegar. Traditional Portuguese piri piri is thin and oil-based, used to drizzle or baste, not a thick salsa.

Makes ca. 350 ml

Ingredients

240 ml olive oil
10-15 dried bird’s eye chiles (piri piri peppers), stems removed (ca. 20-30 g)
4 garlic cloves (ca. 20 g), roughly chopped
60 ml red wine vinegar
30 ml fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp salt

Directions

Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add dried chiles and garlic. Infuse in warm oil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The oil should be warm but not frying.
Add paprika, stir 30 seconds.
Add vinegar. Simmer gently on low heat another 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Transfer everything to a blender. Add lemon juice and salt. Blend until smooth.
Pour into a clean jar. Refrigerate.

Notes

Keeps 3-4 weeks refrigerated. Oil may solidify when cold – let it warm up before using.
Use fewer chiles (8-10) for moderate heat, more (15-20) for serious fire.
Fresh chiles: use about 50-60 g. Skip the infusing step and blend raw, or simmer briefly.
Thai bird’s eye chiles are the closest substitute. Avoid habaneros (wrong flavor profile).
Drizzle over grilled chicken, shrimp, fish, or roasted potatoes. Also works as a marinade.