The Cook’s Kitchen

I recently was given the chance to try some Nando’s Peri-Peri Sauce.  There are a variety of sauces available:

• Extra Mild Lemon Peri-Peri:  Initial fresh lemon aroma, followed by subtle Peri-Peri flavor that ends with a pleasant lingering mild heat sensation
• Medium Peri-Peri:  The original Peri-Peri sauce with perfect balance between lemon, garlic, Peri-Peri flavor & Herbs that develops into a lasting ex peri-peri ence with Medium Heat.
• Wild Herb Peri-Peri:  Subtle initial herby aroma, followed by earthy Peri-Peri flavor balanced with strong herbal notes that end with a pleasant Peri-Peri heat.
• Garlic Peri-Peri:  Lovely initial roasted garlic aroma followed by a powerful earthy Peri-Peri flavor with subtle hints of lemon with a medium heat level.
• Hot Peri-Peri:  Potent savory sauce with good balance between lemon, garlic and Peri-Peri flavor that develops into a powerful lasting hot ex peri-peri ence
• Extra Hot Peri-Peri:  Robust earthy Peri-Peri flavor with hints of garlic and lemon that delivers a serious Peri-Peri kick.
• Sweet Hot Peri-Peri:  A sweet Citrus Peri-Peri with hints of fresh lime and garlic. Medium bodied & full flavored, with lingering heat.

What’s Peri-Peri?  It’s an African chile, also called the African Bird’s Eye chile.  It’s rated at about 70,000 Scoville units (the measurement of heat)… Jalepanos are in the 3000-5000 range.  Nando’s also has marinades and seasonings.

I have to tell you, this stuff is really great.  What I liked about it was that it’s not just another hot sauce; it has a different flavor that’s got lemon, garlic and other spices, as well as a good heat without overpowering (the medium and garlic, at least!).  There’s a “brightness” to it; it reminded me of how the air smells after a rain.  It’s just refreshing, which is odd to say about a hot sauce!

I tried it on chicken, and I was thrilled (really) with the results.  I liked it so much, I made chicken the next day just to try using it as a marinade.  It was even better the second time.

Do yourself a favor and get a bottle of this.  If you can’t find it locally, you can get it from Nando’s USA.  It also comes in a 6 bottle sampler, either Mild or Hot.  The difference is the mild has Extra Mild with no Extra Hot, and the Hot is the opposite.

(Graphic used with permission from Nando’s USA)