Fiery Nsukka Pepper Cocktail

I am sure you must be thinking, hold up, hold up, Dunni whaaaaaat!!!! Of course you can add pepper to a cocktails. errrrr, hello, they are called fiery cocktails. I add half a piece of ata rodo (scotch bonnet/habanero pepper) to my smoothies and it works a dream with digestion. So, when i came across this post on Kitchen Aid’s Instagram page, a repost from @loveandoliveoil. I was just laughing my head off. The things I find funny. hehehehehehe. It was apt because i haven’t had access to fresh nsukka yellow pepper in over a year, and less than a week after buying a big stash from Utako market in Abuja, I came across this post. Like what are the odds. The Universe just likes winking at me

I saw this yesterday and couldn't stop laughing. I am very familiar with fiery cocktails, I've had one once before, but this so so poignant because I have a big stash of yellow pepper in my freezer ??????. You know I have to try it out right, I mean, I won't be me if I didn't. It's like waving a red flag in front of a bull ??. Funny how I tried a recipe I thought would work in my head this morning and I was really pained that it didn't quite work out. Then I remembered this cocktail and my mood lifted instantly ????????. Can't wait for 6pm. I'm thinking with some grilled fish Abacha barracks style ????. As this cocktail brought me unexpected joy, may you find reasons to smile and laugh this week. All frowns would be turned upside down by His Grace ????. Now driving to work humming #atarodococktail #nsukkapeppercocktail #functionallycraycray #nothingcanspoilmymoodtoday ???

A photo posted by Dooney's Kitchen.com (@dooneyskitchen) on Sep 14, 2015 at 12:44am PDT

Of course I had to try it. I won’t be me if I didn’t.

I have had a fiery cocktail before, a long time ago at an event, but that was with chili. Yes, Nsukka peper is hotter, but who is counting. hehehehehehe. it was very yum and mellow with citrus flavours. I made it two straight days in a row. The first day, I tried it, it was way too hot, especially as i was eating my very spicy Yajicurri grilled fish.

Yes, Yajicurri. I have my own signature sauce that I use for grilling fish, chicken, meats and seafood. it is the best thing since slice bread, I promise you.

If you want a jar, please send me an email: [email protected]

I can’t give out the recipe, because I intend to bottle it and sell it in the future. I mean, business empires have been built from homemade sauces made in the kitchen of a tiny flat. Y’all don’t expect me to be a blogger for life, do you. Hehehehehehe. That’s the sauce slathered over croaker fish (straight from the fish) and marinated at room temperature for 10 – 15 minutes before grilling.

…….and that's the sauce right there. Fish marinating for 10 – 15 minutes. Good enough to be eaten raw and tastes even better after grilling. When I take fish out of the fridge to clean, I leave it to marinate at room temperature, instead of putting it back to the fridge. You know why? The acid in the marinade will ceviche the fish, so it starts to cook way ahead of getting to the grill, thereby penetrating the flesh with so much flavour, that by the time you grill the fish, it will be delicious to the bone. That tip, I am willing to give out ????. That is how the women at Abacha barracks do it. The things they teach in fancy cooking schools abroad that our local cooks have been practising for decades. You would not believe what is showing on TV now? @jamieoliver's Super food and guess what he is doing with the locals in Costa Rica – Ceviche. ???. Okay Universe, thanks for winking at me again. Homemade sauce pots sell for almost two figures in Waitrose ????. #norecipe???

A photo posted by Dooney's Kitchen.com (@dooneyskitchen) on Sep 14, 2015 at 12:41pm PDT

That’s the finished product. It will remind you of eating grilled fish at joints in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja.

Monday night dinner at Casa de Dunni. The sauce has formed a nice crust on top. Best eaten with the fish still in the foil. See all those juices ????. The fish is so succulent and moist. The flavour is insane. Why go out when you can dine in #Abujamemories. Just email me if you want grilled fish

A video posted by Dooney's Kitchen.com (@dooneyskitchen) on Sep 14, 2015 at 1:57pm PDT

So, where was I again, ah yes, the cocktail. You know i don’t bring you a recipe that i can’t stand by 100%, so i tried it again yesterday, used less of the pepper and at the last minute, I added the juice of half a lemon and BOOM!!!!!! Perfecto. it was citrusy and tingly on the tongue, burning your throat pleasantly too. I loved it. it made me feel all warm and happy inside, and got my digestive juices flowing. I hope you will try it out sometime. other things you can make with nsukka pepper, how about some jam. I intend to try that out too with other fruit combinations. The flavour of this jam, I am sure is off the hook.

I swear this woman and I are related. They have to go search her genealogy, there is some Nigerian in there. She made the "ata rodo" cocktail, now this. ??? @loveandoliveoil ????????

A photo posted by Dooney's Kitchen.com (@dooneyskitchen) on Sep 15, 2015 at 11:52am PDT

Time to be a mixologist. hehehehehehe