Peri Peri Marinade Pili Pili Food

MOLHO DE PIRI-PIRI (PORTUGUESE PERI-PERI MARINADE SAUCE)

Steps:

• If using a grinder, combine all ingredients, grind and mix the ingredients into a smooth paste.
• If you are using a mortar and pestle, start off with the chillies and garlic - grind them into a smooth paste.
• Then add in the dried oregano and grind it in for another minute.
• Add in the rest of the ingredients and give it a thorough mix.
• You may leave the marinade refrigerated to infuse or use it up straight away.
• Rub marinade onto meat and allow to marinate in a bowl for at least thirty minutes (or overnight if possible) before cooking.

PERI PERI MARINADE (PILI PILI)

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a blender and process to a smooth paste. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours to allow flavours to develop.
• Prior to cooking, I recommend seasoning lightly with additional kosher salt.
• Suggested cooking method: Coat chicken pieces in the marinade until they are completely coated. Cover and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
• For oven cooking, it's important that the chicken pieces be arranged with no space between them. Using a dish that is too large will cause the sauce to burn off when cooking.
• Another authentic cooking method is to "butterfly" a whole chicken, which is to split a cleaned whole chicken down the center enough to allow it to lie flat, but without cutting it into two pieces. Then flatten it by hitting it with a mallet or sturdy bottle and coating the chicken with Peri Peri and marinating overnight before grilling.

PILI-PILI (PERI-PERI) MARINADE

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients in a blender or chopper until it's a paste. And use as marinade, keep in the refrigerator.

PIRI-PIRI CHICKEN

Steps:

• To make the marinade, tip the dried chillies and the vinegar into a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave the chillies to soak until the vinegar is cold. Put the red chillies, garlic, soaked dried chillies and vinegar in a food processor and blitz. Add the smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, sugar, a pinch of salt and the lemon juice. Blitz again to a paste and set aside.
• Sit the chicken in a shallow dish and use a small knife to score all over with cuts 1cm deep. Make sure you do the legs and the underside. Tip the marinade over the chicken and massage into the cuts. Cover and chill for at least 4 hrs, but overnight would be better.
• When you're ready to cook, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roast the chicken for 1 hr, then turn the heat up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and cook for a further 30-35 mins until a crust has formed on the outside of the chicken.
• Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 30 mins. Serve with homemade wedges or jacket potatoes, coleslaw, some buttered corn cobs and chilli & mint peas.