Holy crap, it's May and I haven't written one of these in a third of a year - disgraceful! But with some of my "real" life commitments beginning to recede, I'm going to see if I can't write a handful of sauce revies, since I have a small pile still pending. Rest assured I haven't forgotten that bottle of "Pain is Good" sauce, and a review is coming soon, but I thought I would kick off with a quick review of a little bottle of Peri Peri that I got while I was on holiday, since the bottle is about to run out.
It's a supermarket own-brand sauce, which is generally a bit of a demerit, but if anyone can pull it off I have faith in Sainsbury's (I doubt anyone will ever read these, but if by some miracle someone from outside the UK is reading this, Sainsbury's is towards the "posh" end of the supermarket spectrum, generally catering a bit more to the ethical/organic/foodie crowd). Peri-peri is also one of my favourite styles of chilli, thanks to many happy meals at Nando's, but one that seems surprisingly difficult to get right for a bottled sauce. Even Nando's don't manage it particularily well, although there are a couple of harder-to-find manufacturers (such as the excellent Zulu Zulu and Mama Africa's - the latter sadly lacking a UK importer, which explains why nobody near me stocks it any more). Still, from the minimalist labelling I was kind of expecting this to be more like a cooking ingredient rather than something I'd like to chow into on it's own.
Tasting Notes: The sauce is smooth and opaque, and neither too runny or thick. The smell isn't overwhelming, but it there's a hint of some of the spices in it. There's the faintest touch of sharpness, but it doesn't seem like acid (citrus or otherwise) is a strong player in this sauce. The taste itself is pretty subtle and underwhelming, but it does give clear space for the flavour of the peppers - I just wish there was more to it. I also tend to want peri peri sauces to have a bit more citrus to them, and without it this sauce tastes almost floury. The heat comes on slowly, and has a medium burn about expected from a mainstream supermarket product like this.
What it's Good For: I actually struggle to think. It doesn't particularily stand on it's own, and it's flavour is too subtle to be an ingredient. I've been using it as a secondary sauce added to something else on sandwiches and wraps, and even to some leftover rice, but even as a topping it really needs another sauce to fill in where it's flavours are missing. I guess if you're topping something really strong, it might be okay.
Final Thoughts: Style over substance. The more I think about it, the more I think this sauce has been designed to look right, rather than taste right. I'm convinced I can taste the flour that's been used as a thickener, and the flavours are lacklustre and half hearted. It almost has the opposite problem to the Dilita sauce I reviewed last year, and definitely better than some of the other supermarket own-brand chilli sauces I've tried (I'm looking at you, Tesco).
The Verdict: A poor show, but probably better than Dilita.
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