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Shatta

The Quirky Foodster Team

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About 1 cup paste
Servings

Ingredients

  • Fresh or dried red and/or green chiles
  • garlic
  • olive oil
  • and often a splash of vinegar or lemon juice
  • blended into a hot sauce/paste rather than a dry powder

Method

  1. Blend chiles, garlic, and oil together into a coarse or smooth paste, depending on preference; some versions are lightly fermented for a few days before use.
  2. Not applicable; prepared fresh from raw or dried-but-unroasted ingredients.

Origin: Egypt (and more broadly, parts of the Levant).

Use: A table condiment, similar in role to other regional hot sauces, spooned onto finished dishes.

Classic Dishes: Served alongside grilled meats, ful medames, and various Egyptian dishes as a table hot sauce.

Storage: Keeps several weeks to a couple of months refrigerated, longer if lightly fermented and preserved under oil.

Variations: Green shatta (fresh green chile-based) and red shatta (dried red chile-based) are the two primary variants, chosen depending on the desired color and slightly different flavor profile.

Substitutions: Any fresh chile-garlic hot sauce as a reasonable substitute.