Salsa verde – what comes to mind? To those of us on this side of the Atlantic, salsa verde always means the Italian salsa verde – a vibrant green condiment altogether tangy, peppery, briny, oily and fishy! Definitely a favourite of mine. Let’s face it, anything with anchovies is always going to have a head […]
How to Make Berbere, Ethiopian Spice Mix
Berbere, as the word is commonly used, is a fiery red Ethiopian spice mix that gives Ethiopian wots (stews) their characteristic flavour and, without which, a wot is just not a wot! Berbere is in fact, the general Ethiopian word for pepper, as in Kundo Pepper, which refers to black pepper. The word kundo doesn’t […]
How to Make Sichuan Chilli Oil at Home
This super spicy Sichuan Chilli Oil is one of a few varieties of Chinese chilli oils we make at home. They last a good few months in the fridge, and so I always have at least a couple of them at hand. What differentiates today’s recipe from the others is the addition of sichuan peppercorns […]
Sambal Belacan – Malay Chilli Paste with Shrimp Paste
Sambal Belacan is the ubiquitous Malay chilli paste or condiment found all across Singapore and Malaysia. No self respecting Malay home will be without it at the dinner table. Made with fresh chillies, it’s flavoured with shrimp paste and lime juice. In Malay: Sambal – a spicy chilli condiment, sauce and sometimes, side dishBelacan – shrimp […]
Sweet Chilli Sauce
Sweet Chilli Sauce is one of those ubiquitous sauces sold in bottles or jars as either Chinese or Thai. It is what it say – sweet and not spicy, so the chillies used are usually the milder variety. But of course, that doesn’t mean that you can’t make it sweet and spicy! When I was […]
Zhug, Yemeni Green Hot Sauce (with everyday ingredients)
Zhug (variantly spelled as zhoug, zhoog, skhug and schug), is a hot chilli sauce or chilli paste from Yemen. To me, Zhug is the Middle Eastern pesto. After all, the word zhoug means “ground”, much like pesto comes from the word pestare, meaning “to pound, crush or grind”. Although more commonly known as Yemeni or […]
