When you think about Mozambique, you think about beautiful beaches, great fishing spots and evenings spent on the beach enjoying local cuisine with your loved ones. One of the best gifts Mozambican cuisine has given its patrons is peri-peri prawns. The bigger, the hotter, the juicer, the better! If you ask the experts the secret to authentic Mozambican prawns is the sauce. Most recipes note that it’s best to prepare the sauce a day or two in advance, but if the chillies you use pack enough punch you’re good to go after an hour or two. So, get your taste buds fired up and get cooking! The sauce is enough for about 18 – 24 large prawns.

You’ll need:

• 2 cups oil (olive, grape seed, canola – the choice is yours)
• ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chilli powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 2 – 4 tablespoons chopped up fresh Piri-Piri chillies (also known as African bird’s eye chilli) – add more if you like the fire!

Method: Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together in a glass jar and let it rest so that the oil can be infused. Marinade your prawns in the sauce when ready and put it on the braai or the skottel. Enjoy with some fresh bread from the local market.