Cultural Background: A milder cousin of the spicy wat sauces, alecha is an Ethiopian stew-sauce built on the same slow-cooked onion base but without berbere, seasoned instead with turmeric and ginger, offering a gentler option within Ethiopia's fasting-friendly cuisine. Tips: • Turmeric can scorch quickly, so stir constantly during the brief blooming step. • This […]
Cultural Background: A deeply spiced onion and berbere sauce forming the heart of doro wat, Ethiopia's iconic chicken stew often considered the national dish, this base sauce reflects hours of slow-cooked onion caramelisation combined with the complex Ethiopian spice blend berbere. Tips: • Cooking the onions without oil initially (dry) is a traditional technique that […]
Cultural Background: A spicy, chunky vegetable relish-sauce of South African township origin, chakalaka combines tomatoes, beans, carrots and chile, traditionally served alongside pap (maize porridge) and braaied (grilled) meats at gatherings. Tips: • Grating the carrots rather than dicing gives the traditional texture that cooks down quickly into the sauce. • Adjust curry powder and […]
Cultural Background: Born from the fusion of Portuguese colonists and the fiery African bird's eye chile in Mozambique, peri-peri (piri-piri) sauce became a defining flavour of Southern African cuisine, especially beloved as a marinade for grilled chicken. Tips: • Wear gloves when handling this quantity of hot chiles. • The sauce keeps improving in flavour […]
Cultural Background: A fiery chile condiment found across East and Central Africa, pili-pili (from the Swahili word for pepper) is typically a raw or lightly cooked blend of chiles, garlic and citrus, used as a table sauce for grilled meats, fish and stews. Tips: • Wear gloves when handling this quantity of hot chiles. • […]
Cultural Background: A dry-spice-based sauce (yaji) rehydrated into a paste with oil, suya sauce coats skewered grilled meat in Nigerian street food culture, built on ground peanuts and a distinctive blend of ginger, chile and other warming spices from the Hausa people of northern Nigeria. Tips: • The dry spice blend itself (yaji) can be […]
Cultural Background: A rich, savoury peanut-based stew-sauce found across West Africa from Senegal to Mali, mafé reflects the region's long tradition of groundnut cultivation, traditionally simmered slowly with meat and vegetables and served over rice. Tips: • Frequent stirring is essential toward the end of cooking, as peanut sauces scorch easily on the bottom of […]
Cultural Background: A tangy, deeply caramelised onion and lemon sauce from Senegal, yassa developed in the Casamance region and is traditionally used to marinate and then simmer chicken or fish, resulting in a distinctive sweet-sour, mustard-tinged flavour. Tips: • Marinating the onions alongside the protein for several hours or overnight is essential to yassa's characteristic […]