Nigerian Red Sauce
ACTIVE 1 HR 20 MIN; TOTAL 2 HR 20 MIN
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS
Maggi Seasoning Cubes are made from
fermented wheat protein and glutamic
acids, providing a huge dose of savory
essence to any dish. As foundational to
West African cooking as Scotch bonnet
chiles and palm oil, Maggi cubes have
thickeners, such as sounbareh, made
tree seeds. Stir leftover Nigerian Red
a quick, spicy stew with fish or shrimp.
3 cups chopped red bell pepper
21 /^3 cups chopped red onion
2 cups chopped tomato
(^1) / 2 cup tomato paste
2 Tbsp. grated garlic
2 Tbsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
3 seasoning cubes (such as Maggi
Seasoning Cubes)
11 / 2
chile
2 tsp. curry powder
(^1) / 2 cup canola oil
SEPTEMBER 2019 105
- Combine bell pepper, onion, tomato,
tomato paste, garlic, ginger, seasoning
cubes, chile, and curry powder in a high-
speed blender. Process on low speed,
gradually increasing speed to high, until
smooth, about 50 seconds. - Transfer bell pepper mixture to a large
pot; add oil. Cook over low, stirring occa-
sionally, until sauce is the consistency of a
thick gravy and is reduced to about 3
cups, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let
cool completely, about 1 hour.
MAKE AHEAD Sauce may be stored in an
airtight container in refrigerator up to 1
week or frozen in ziplock plastic freezer
bags up to 3 months.
THE BAHAMAS
CRACKING THE
SECRET TO
CRISPY SHRIMP
Usually, I can take or leave
shrimp. But my Cracked
Shrimp with Pineapple-
Habanero Relish? You better
watch out, ’cause I could polish
it all off. The skillet-fried shrimp
stay hot and juicy in their
golden, crackly crust. The
secret to their extra-crispy
crunch is the “cracking.” When I
was cooking as a private chef in
the Bahamas, I learned how to
crack conch. The notoriously
tough local shellfish had to be
pounded with a mallet to make
it tender enough to eat.
Shrimp’s texture starts softer,
so a little tap, tap with a rolling
pin is enough to flatten and
tenderize them. In that
smashed state, they need only
a quick turn in bubbling oil to
turn into the most delicious
fried shrimp you’ll ever eat.
(Get the recipe on p. 116.)
—Carla Hall, author of Carla
Hall’s Soul Food and former
cohost of ABC’s The Chew