Dish of Palestine Red Shatta
(click to enlarge)

Shatta (Red or Green)


Palestine   -   Tatbeeleh (Palestine); Shatta (Arabic)
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 1 cup
**
3-1/3 days
Yes		 This hot sauce is particularly popular Palestine, especially Gaza. It's a simpler recipe than the Shatta of Egypt, and very different from the Shata of Sudan. See also Comments.




9
1
3
1
ar
oz
T
T
T

Chilis, fresh (1)  
Salt (2)
Cider Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Olive Oil, ExtV   		Make   -   (3-1/3 days)
  1. Cap CHILIS and slice crosswise thin, taking seeds and all.
  2. In a bowl, tumble Chilis with Salt, then pack in a jar. Leave the jar in a cool place out of sunlight for 3 days to ferment. Turn the jar over once a day to coat all with the brine, and pack them all back down again.
  3. After 3 days, drain Chilis and place them in a food processor, along with Vinegar and Lemon Juice. Run until as fine as you want them, scraping down the sides as needed.
  4. Pack in a jar, tap on your cutting board to even out the paste, then pour in enough Olive Oil to seal the top.
  5. Store refrigerated in a sealed jar. Covered with the Olive Oil, It should keep for up to 6 months.
NOTES:

  1. Chilis:

      You may make Shatta with either Red or Green Chilis. Those used in the Levant won't be available in North America, so use red ripe Fresno chilis, or red ripe Jalapeños if available (Huy Fong Foods buys nearly all of those for their famous chili sauces). For Green, use either green Jalapeños, or for hotter, green Serranos. Alternatively you could use red or green Anaheims, and include a few Thai Chilis for the heat. "Shatta" is just a word for "Red" in Arabic, but used here for either Red or Green. For details see our Chilis page.

  2. Salt:

      For fermenting, always use a Salt with no flow agents (even some Kosher salts have flow agents). I always use Korean Sea Salt, as it is pure unrefined Sea Salt and guaranteed to be suitable for pickling - Koreans are very big on pickling.

  3. Comments:

    If you want a really smooth Shatta, blast the Chilis with your Kitchen Torch and brush off the skins under running water. If you are really pressed for time, you can skip the fermentation, but the Shatta will be more harsh.
  4. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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