How to Make Shito (Hot Pepper Sauce)

How to Make Shito (Hot Pepper Sauce)

Shito is pepper sauce with a unique flavor and scintillating taste. The Ghanaians are mostly known for this sauce as they usually use it to compliment various dishes such as kenkey, eba, yam and steamed rice. You should not be surprised if you find Ghanaians using this sauce to eat almost anything, it is that good.

This pepper sauce can be stored in jars for a long time; that is one of the reasons why I love Shito. The sauce is straightforward to prepare, so it does not matter that you are not Ghanaian, you can make this sauce at home easily. Moreover, the ingredients are readily available in the local markets near you.

Ingredients

The ingredients required to prepare Shito are:

• 2 bulbs of finely diced onions
• 2 cups of blended chili pepper
• 1 cup of blended dried prawns
• 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder
• 3 spoons of herring powder
• 3 cups of vegetable oil

Preparation

First off, you need to preheat the pan, then add a cup of vegetable oil. Preheating helps the oil get hot quickly.

Afterward, add the chopped onions and allow it to sauté for 10 minutes until it becomes translucent.

Pour in the blended chili pepper and keep stirring. The continuous stirring ensures it does not burn; that is why it is necessary to use a wooden spoon or spatula, to make it easier to move around the pan quickly.

After about 15 minutes, add the blended prawns. Prawns are quite different from crayfish, and they have a peculiar taste. However, you can substitute with crayfish if you don’t have dry prawns.

At this point, the oil will have being absorbed by the mixture, so it is okay to add some more. The remaining 2 cups of vegetable oil can be added now.

Stir it properly. You would notice the mixture might be too grainy and to achieve a smoother texture, use a hand blender and blend till smooth.

Then add the seasoning and the herring powder. Leave it to cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Afterward, you can store in jars and eat later as a sauce with any meal you desire.

Chef’s Recommendation:

Shito is delicious when consumed hot. Also, the level of the spiciness is determined by how spicy you want it to be. Go easy on the peppers if you can’t handle the heat.