I’m just getting over a bout of the flu and I was looking for something to add a little kick to my lunch so I opted for the new bottle of Try Me Tiger Sauce we picked up a couple weeks back. With a name like “Tiger” how could this not give my taste buds the excitement it was looking for. From a child, whenever I was getting over not feeling well, I always found comfort in hot sauces. Yea, I’m strange… I guess!

So did it live up to it’s name?

The Aroma.

This one took me a few tries to actually come to a conclusion as to what my nose was trying to identify. I usually try to go through the review before actually reading the list of ingredients, as not to have what I read influence my thoughts. However, due to the sort of complex scent I got on opening I had to take a peek at the ingredients. There’s a sort of earthy opening scent which is similar to the musty smell you’d get on entering a vegetable market during a humid summer’s day. As someone who’s familiar with Tamarind, I could easily point out it’s scent with a bit of an “aged” twist. This was all encased in an overall smokey aroma, that really worked for me.

The Taste.

Definitely not the “kick” I was looking for as there’s not much heat to this Tiger Sauce. However I found it well balanced with a unique taste from the tamarind and Worcestershire sauce that’s listed in the contents. As with the aroma, the smoky smell was also present in the taste as well (somewhat aged) and there was also a savory sort of finish to this sauce. Looking back to when I was testing this sauce I recall that I also got a hint of something similar to Cumin (maybe this is where the smoky taste came from?). Not a “hot” sauce by any means, but well rounded and full of good flavours.

Texture.

Shake Well before Opening! Don’t miss this warning, as the sauce seems to separate in the bottle and needs a good shake to combine everything before use. A rather runny sauce (even though they have artificial thickeners listed in the ingredient list) that “pours” out if you’re not careful. With specks of pepper flakes, glossy look and occasional pepper seeds in the sauce, it reminds me of the dipping sauce I got with chicken fingers that was called “Sweet chili heat” by the restaurant we had lunch at a few months back. Think about the plum sauce (but darker) you’d get at MC Donalds when you purchased that last chicken nuggets ‘happy meal” for your daughter, except there’s pepper flakes included.

Overall this is not a disappointing sauce, even though I was looking for some heat and there wasn’t much. With a wonderful dark caramel colour, aged smell and well balanced taste with the use of the tamarind, this sauce should be included in your pantry. However, more for a dipping sauce than anything else. As far as heat goes, I’d give it a 0.5 out of 5 and for taste I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5.

This would be perfect as a dipping sauce for shrimp or grilled kabobs and so much for a topping for sandwiches etc.

How much impact does packaging play when shopping? In this case, it’s the package that caught my attention when I picked up the bottle of Macarico Piri Piri Molho Hot Sauce a couple days ago. Granted I’ve heard ads on the radio for a Piri Piri chicken served by a popular restaurant and always wanted to give this a try. From what I read, piri piri is the name used in Portugal and the ex-Portuguese colonies (Angola and Mozambique) for African bird’s eye  chilis (to be distinguished from thai or Asian bird’s eye), which register in the 100, 000-350,000 Scoville range. This is approximately the same as a scotch bonnet, but don’t expect scorching heat from this sauce, as it packs less of a punch than the average scotch bonnet sauce.

The Aroma.

I did this review in my back yard, so on opening it was a bit difficult to get a true smell as when I’m in my closed kitchen. However after closer attention I did get a bit of a musty scent, that reminded me of a “Malta” ( a sweet malt beverage from the Caribbean). Similar to the smell you’d get on a humid summer’s day when entering a closed room. Maybe this is from some sort of aging process?

The Taste.

WOW! This is immediately salty, almost as if anchovies were used in the preparation of this sauce. However the ingredients listed on the packaging included: Capsicums, Water, Salt, Vegetable oil, Spices, Acidity regulator E-330, preservative E-211, and thickner E-415. The heat is a bit mellow and takes a few seconds to really register and when it finally did it wasn’t anything special. The good thing is that it’s not overly acidic, so if you hate hot sauces that are acidic you may want to give this one a shot. I’m still debating if I could taste any of the “spices” listed in the ingredients list. maybe the sort of Malt/smokey taste is from the spices?

Texture.

Thick and well blended. With the use of the thickener mentioned in the ingredient list, they achieved a perfectly blended sauce that does not separate as so many that I’ve reviewed in the past. Very smooth, but with a slight (very slight) sort of grainy feel to it. Be sure to shake well before opening and with the help of the regulator the rate of pour is controlled perfectly.

Final Comments.

Besides the salty taste (that goes away when the heat kicks in) this Macarico Piri Piri Molho Hot Sauce is not bad and a good change from the Habanero based sauces I love so much. However if you’re looking for something “unique” or “ethnic” you may want to try a different brand of piri piri sauce as this one does not deliver anything really unique. The heat level I would put it at 2 out of 5 and overall I’d also rank the sauce at 2.5 out of 5. At under $5 a bottle, it’s worth testing for yourself… your taste buds may appreciate this more than mine did.

Nothing beats having fresh ingredients from your garden when you make up a batch of this amazing salsa. If you can’t get fresh from your garden, check out your local farmer’s market to source out the ingredients. Not only will your final product be tasty, you’ll also be supporting local farmers.

Ingredients

* 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 sweet onion, diced
* 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
* 5 cups fresh seeded diced tomatoes
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 2-4 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced
* 1 cayenne pepper, diced, if more heat is desired (optional)
* 1/4 cup minced fresh basil (or cilantro)
* 1 lime juice
* 1/3 cup vinegar or bottled lemon juice
* salt and pepper
* 1/8 cup sugar, if tomatoes need to be sweetened (optional)
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Heat oil in a large pan add onions and peppers till soft add garlic cook 1 minute.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer 15-20 minutes to reduce liquid.

Adjust seasoning and place in hot washed jars.

Process for 15 minutes in a hot water bath to seal.

Or refrigerate to be consumed within the week.