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.

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.

Piment Limón (Citrus Hot Sauce)

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Here is my version of the classic hot sauce of Rórigues Island in the 
Mascarenes. It is very thick, so feel free to thin with more water if 
you want. You’d think that this sauce might be sour, but it’s not–the 
sugar in the red chiles seems to temper the tart lemons. Any fresh red 
chiles can be used, and you can adjust the heat level to your liking. 
The yield is high here, but the color is so beautiful that you should 
put the excess in decorative bottles as gifts for your friends. It will 
keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. Serve it over fish or other 
seafood.

Ingredients

6 cups water
10 lemons, thickly sliced, seeds removed (or substitute limes for a 
different color)
8 to 10 red jalapeños, seeds and stems removed, halved
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

Place the water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the lemon slices 
and boil for 20 minutes. Strain, reserving the water.
Place the jalapeños in a blender and add the oil. Puree to make a thick 
paste. Add the lemon slices, a few at a time, along with 3 cups of the 
reserved water, a half cup at a time. You may have to do this in batches 
in you don’t have a large blender. Puree to a thick sauce. Pour into 
bottles and label.

Rouille (Hot Sauce for Fish Stew)

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The famous food writer M. F. K. Fisher described this sauce as follows: 
“A peppery concoction suited to the taste of bouillabaisse, served 
separately from the soup to be ladled in at the discretion of the 
individual diner.”

Ingredients

2 small bell peppers, seeded and cut in small squares
2 small, hot dried chiles, such as piquin or Thai, crushed
1 cup water
2 pimientos, drained and dried (optional)
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 3 teaspoons fine dry bread crumbs
Salt to taste

Instructions

In a saucepan, combine the bell peppers, dried chiles, and water. Simmer 
until the bell peppers are soft, then drain the peppers and pat dry. 
Place the peppers, pimientos (optional) and garlic in a mixing bowl or 
mortar and mash the ingredients together until they become a smooth 
paste. Slowly beat in the olive oil and bread crumbs until the mixture 
becomes just too thick to pour. Or, add the peppers, pimientos, and 
garlic to a blender and purée while adding the olive oil and bread 
crumbs. Then add salt to taste.

Romesco Sauce

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Romesco is a classic Spanish sauce that is served with a wide variety of 
dishes, including the famous tortilla Española from the Tarragona 
region, this classic Catalan sauce combines almonds with two of the most 
popular horticultural imports from the New World—chiles and tomatoes. 
The sauce gets its name from the romesco chile, but these are not 
readily available outside Spain. A combination of ancho and New Mexican 
chiles approximates the flavor.

Ingredients

1 ancho chile, stem and seeds removed
2 dried red New Mexican red chiles, stems and seeds removed
1/2 cup toasted almonds
5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tomatoes, unpeeled
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Spanish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200ºF.
Place the chiles, almonds, garlic, and tomatoes on a baking pan and 
roast in the oven until the nuts are toasted, the chiles are fragrant, 
and the skins of the tomatoes and garlic are blistered. The nuts will 
take about 5 minutes, the tomatoes about 20, and the chiles somewhere in 
between. Check frequently to be sure nothing burns.
Allow the ingredients to cool. Place the almonds in a spice mill or 
coffee grinder and process to a powder. Place the chiles in a bowl, 
cover with hot water, and allow them to steep for 15 minutes to soften. 
Drain the chiles and discard the water. Remove the skins from the 
tomatoes and garlic.
Put the almonds, chiles, tomatoes, garlic, and vinegar in a blender or 
food processor and puree to a smooth paste, adding a little oil if 
necessary.
Transfer the paste to a bowl and slowly whisk in the oil, 1 teaspoon at 
a time, until half of the oil is absorbed. Gradually add the remaining 
oil. Season with the salt and pepper.
Allow the sauce to sit for an hour or two to blend the flavors.