A fiery, vibrant condiment made from fresh scotch bonnet peppers, garlic, lime juice, and oil. This essential Congolese table sauce adds heat and brightness to any dish it accompanies.
Ingredients
10 scotch bonnet peppers, stemmed
6 cloves garlic
Juice of 3 limes
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 small onion, quartered
Fresh parsley, handful
Instructions
1Remove stems from scotch bonnet peppers. For a milder sauce, remove the seeds and white membrane. For maximum heat, leave them in.
2Combine peppers, garlic cloves, onion, parsley, salt, and lime juice in a mortar and pestle. Pound to a coarse paste, or blend briefly in a blender.
3The texture should be chunky and rustic, not perfectly smooth. You want visible flecks of pepper and garlic throughout the sauce.
4Stir in the vegetable oil and mix well. Taste and adjust salt and lime juice to balance the heat with acidity and seasoning.
5Transfer to a clean glass jar. The sauce improves after resting for an hour as the flavors meld and the heat distributes evenly.
6Serve in a small bowl at the table alongside any Congolese dish. A little goes a long way with this potent condiment.
Did You Know?
The word pili pili comes from the Swahili word for pepper and has become the universal term for hot sauce across much of Central and East Africa.