Ingredients
Chillies
- 150 ghot red chillies, stems removed
- or 100 g dried red chillies, soaked
Aromatics
- 1 headof garlic, peeled
- 1 tspsalt
To loosen
- 3 tbspvegetable oil, or sesame oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tbspwater, if needed
Sometimes added
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspground coriander
- 1 tbsptomato paste
Equipment
- gloves
- a mortar and pestle, or a blender
To serve
- with ful
- with kisra
- with grilled meat
Directions
- Wash your hands thoroughly afterwards even if you wore gloves. Do not lean over the blender when you remove the lid. Break the dried chillies open and shake out most of the seeds. Leaving all the seeds in makes it fiercely hot.
- Cover them with hot water and soak them for thirty minutes. Drain them and squeeze out the water. Keep a little of the soaking water in case you need it.
- Pull the stems off each chilli. Decide whether to keep the seeds and membrane. Rinse them and pat them fully dry. Put the garlic and salt in a mortar first.
- Pound them into a rough paste. Add the chillies a few at a time. Pound and turn after each addition. Keep going until it forms a coarse paste. Some make it coarse and some almost smooth.
- Add the oil a spoonful at a time. Work it in after each addition. Add the fresh lemon juice as well. Add a little water if it is still too stiff to spoon. It should be a thick spoonable paste.
- Taste a very small amount on the tip of a spoon. Adjust the salt and the lemon juice. It should be hot, salty and sharply garlicky.
- Pack it into a small clean jar. Press it down to remove air pockets. Pour a thin layer of oil over the surface. It keeps for two or three weeks in the fridge. Set it on the table in a small dish.
Technique
- Wear gloves and open a window, since the chilli oil burns skin and the fumes catch in the throat.
- The membrane holds most of the heat rather than the seeds.
- Keep a layer of oil over the surface in the jar, which is what preserves it.
Substitutions
- Dried chillies soaked in hot water, in place of fresh.
- Any hot red chilli, since the type varies by market.
Variations
- With cumin and coriander through it.
- With tomato paste, which mellows it.
- Made with dried chillies for a smokier paste.
History
The Sudanese and South Sudanese table chili, pounded fresh or sold as a paste, and the standard heat alongside every bread-and-stew meal.
Frequently asked questions
What is Shata?
Shata is a sauce & condiment from South Sudan: fierce chili and garlic paste spooned onto ful, meat and kisra. The Sudanese and South Sudanese table chili, pounded fresh or sold as a paste, and the standard heat alongside every bread-and-stew meal.
How long does Shata take to make?
Shata takes 20 min of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 1 small jar. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Shata?
Yes, within limits. Dried chillies soaked in hot water, in place of fresh. Any hot red chilli, since the type varies by market.
What is the most important thing to get right in Shata?
Wash your hands thoroughly afterwards even if you wore gloves. Do not lean over the blender when you remove the lid. Break the dried chillies open and shake out most of the seeds. Leaving all the seeds in makes it fiercely hot.
