Q: I recently bought a bag of peri peri spice at my local farmers market. It smells amazing, but the taste is so strong and unique that I'm having trouble working into recipes. Other than dry rubs for chicken, what can I do with it?
Sent by Meghan
Editor: If memory and my internet search both serve correctly, peri peri is an African spice primarily made from hot chili peppers (peri peri peppers). It's hot, but more of the slow-burn variety of spiciness. In Portugal, the chilis are made into a sauce, so what about mixing your spice into a glaze for chicken or fish? I also imagine it would go well with any grilled foods, especially shrimp.
Readers, what do you suggest doing with this spice?
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Related: Beyond Cayenne: 6 Ways to Add Spicy Heat to Any Dish
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Piri piri ends up in a lot of the sauces in Ethiopian dishes.
Make Peri Peri Sauce and put it on literally everything! That's what they do in Southern Africa!
It is also in many Portugese foods.
Piri Piri is the national spice in Mozambique and if you visit that lovely country you'll find Piri Piri barbie chicken all over the country. They also grill shrimps with Piri Piri, however, the traditional dish is chicken. For those that are not familiar with that kind of pepper, the best advise is to go easy in the beginning and then gradually adjust the measurement according to your tolerance for peppers..
In our house Piri piri gets sprinkled over anything that needs a bit more spice than basic salt&pepper. Roasted chicken pieces, roast veg, potato wedges...
I wonder if you mean berbere spice which sounds a lot like peri peri! As a frequent traveler to Ethiopia, I've never come across peri peri spice (which doesn't mean it isn't used) but berbere spice is on EVERYTHING!
Well, if it's like berbere, one unique application that I had at an Eritrean friend's house was to toss some into bread dough to make a slightly spicy totally addictive loaf
chicken!
I bought some of this at Penzeys a few weeks ago. It smells wonderful, but I haven't had a chance to try it. I am a little worried about the HOT on the label. I guess I'll start with chicken. I look forward to hearing other suggestions.
I love spicy foods, and I did not think this was overpowering. It's been fun to add to recipes where I wanted a little more "kick." I sprinkled a fair amount into the the breadcrumbs of the Smoky Sweet Potato Gratin, and it was a big hit: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-sweet-po-4-157859
I love spicy foods, and I did not think this was overpowering. It's been fun to add to recipes where I wanted a little more "kick." I sprinkled a fair amount into the the breadcrumbs of the Smoky Sweet Potato Gratin, and it was a big hit: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-sweet-po-4-157859
I had an excellent vinaigrette with it, on a frisee salad, at a restaurant. That'd be worth experimenting with. It's also good in pureed root vegetable soups.
Eggs...runny, gooey cast iron skillet eggs.
roast some corn on the cob either on a grill or in the oven. Sprinkle with Peri Peri (AKA Pili Pili/African Bird Spice) and a squeeze of lime. Delicious! Also do the same with popcorn for a unique flavor! Yum.