Ugandan Groundnut Sauce

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Variations on this hot sauce appear all over Africa, with the key 
ingredient being peanuts in any form. Here, peanut butter works 
well--and it's the cook's choice to use smooth or crunchy! Ladle it over 
fried chicken or fish.

Ingredients

1/2 pound dried fish, such as salt cod, coarsely chopped
4 1/2 cups water
2 onions, chopped
2 teaspoons peanut oil
4 tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons cayenne powder
1 teaspoon curry powder (or to taste)
1 cup peanut butter
Salt to taste

Instructions

Soak the dried fish in 2 cups of water until it becomes soft. Drain and 
pat dry.
In a large skillet, fry the onions in the oil until brown, about five 
minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Add the 
fish, curry, cayenne, remaining water, peanut butter, and salt. Simmer, 
uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until the sauce thickens to the desired 
consistency.

Ata Dindin (Nigerian Fried Red Pepper Sauce)

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Ata is the Yoruba word for chile pepper, and Nigerian chiles range from
the tiny ata wewe to the large ata funfun. It is served like a relish or
dip with many West African dishes, particularly grilled meats.
Variation: Add 1 bell pepper, chopped

Ingredients

10 dried red New Mexican chiles, seeds and stems removed, soaked in hot
water for 1 hour
1/2 cup peanut oil
1 onion, chopped
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Remove the chiles from the water and puree them in a blender or food
processor.
Heat the oil in a skillet, add the onion, pureed chiles, tomato sauce,
and salt. Fry over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Rougail (Réunionaise Salsa)

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Few people have ever heard of the Mascarenes, and these islands are more 
known by their individual names: Réunion, Mauritius, and Ródrigues. They 
are a departement of France and lie hundred of miles east of Madagascar, 
hundreds of miles away from each other, and although they vary greatly 
in geography, culture, and religion, they have one great thing in 
common: a love of chile peppers. On all three islands, chiles of every 
size and heat level are lovingly grown and added to a cuisines that can 
generically be called Creole. Rebecca Chastenet de Gry, one of my 
writers, collected this recipe for me on Réunion Island. She wrote: 
"Alter the heat in this extremely hot salsa by changing the chiles used. 
Traditionally the smaller piquin or bird's eye chiles are the types 
preferred, but milder ones, such as red serranos, can be used." Serve 
it--easy does it--over clams, other shellfish, or grilled fish fillets.

Ingredients

1/2 cup small fresh hot red chiles, such as piquin, stems and seeds removed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons sliced ginger
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons white vinegar

Instructions

Place the chiles, salt, garlic, and cilantro in a blender and process 
slightly and still chunky.
Combine the remaining ingredients, and the chile and mix well. Allow the 
salsa to sit for a couple of hours to blend the flavors.

Tsuma Nzole Kalu’s Special Sauce

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This recipe was collected for me in Mombasa, Kenya by Richard Sterling, 
who wrote: “The barbecue master at the Big Bite Restaurant in Mombasa is 
Tsuma Nzole Kalu. He concocted this recipe for hot sauce and gave it its 
name. Serve it over grilled or barbecued meats and poultry.”

Ingredients

4 fresh pili pili chiles or red jalapeños, seeds and stems removed
1/4 teaspoon coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Ukwaju Kenyan lemon or 1 lime, juiced
Water

Instructions

Combine the chiles, spices, and the salt in a mortar and pound to a 
thick paste. Transfer to a jar, add the lemon or lime juice and enough 
water to make the mixture easily pourable. Shake well and set aside for 
a few hours to let the flavors marry.

Mazavaroo

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The neighboring island of Mauritius in the Mascarenes has a harissa-like 
sauce called mazavaroo that is usually served on sandwiches. This recipe 
for it was given to one of my writers, Leyla Loued-Khenissime, by 
Virjanan Jeenea, the sous-chef at the Oberoi Hotel in Mauritius. Leyla 
writes: “I was happy to see that his recipe is simple compared to others 
I have run into. I tried it four different ways: with fresh bird's eye 
peppers and again with fresh Thai dragon peppers, then adding shrimp 
paste to one and ginger to the other. The best result I obtained was by 
following the Oberoi recipe with the bird's eye peppers, although it 
still lacks that smoky fantasia found in the jar I initially bought. 
Below is the Oberoi's adapted version.”

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh red chillies (preferably pili-pili or bird's eye peppers)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon garlic, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, peeled

Instructions

Pre-heat pan and add oil. Add the garlic and chilli peppers. Sautee on 
moderate heat for 15 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. 
Remove from heat. Mix the garlic and peppers with salt and the lemon in 
a mixer.