Spice adds so much character to a dish. The tease you get on the palate is just so exciting. It amazes me how each variety of chillies and spices produce such different flavours. How each variety adds a different layer of flavours – it’s simply fascinating. It’s probably the same kind of fascination that Chilli Ben had when he was travelling across Texas savouring all those authentic Mexican food on the road. And that’s how Capsicana was founded.
Capsicana is a new range of quick cooking sauce featuring Latin American flavours. Latin America has no shortage of chilli varieties to add to their cuisine. Each region has their own signature taste of spice and level of heat in their respective cuisines. From Mexican to Cuban, and Brazilian to Peruvian – there’s such a huge spectrum of flavours for the palate.
Brazilian Chilli & Coconut
This is my most favourite flavour out of the four. The sauce is inspired by the classic Brazilian dish Moqueca (fish stew). It features Frutescens Chillies and offers this rich tangy flavour with a hint of spice. I really enjoyed the fragrance and that savoury and spicy kick to the taste buds.
What I made: Moqueca (Brazilian Chilli & Coconut Seafood Stew)
How to make:
- Heat Coconut Oil in a saucepan, cook the diced Bell Peppers until they’re softened.
- Stir in the chopped Onions and cook until it turns golden & translucent.
- Pour in a pack of Capsicana Brazilian Chilli & Coconut sauce plus equal amount of water. Let it boil and simmer.
- After the liquid start to reduce, add in Cod Fillets and Prawns. Continue to let it simmer until the seafood is cooked thoroughly.
- Garnish with chopped Cilantro and serve immediately.
Mexican Chilli & Honey
This one is based on the classic Mexican dish ‘Puerco Al Horno Con Salsa De Chile Ancho Y Miel’, which translates as roast pork with ancho chilli and honey (there’s no pork in the sauce pack’s ingredients). It features Mexican-grown Chipotle & Ancho Poblano Chillies, which carries medium heat and a smokey flavour. A spicy and smokey flavour with a hint of sweetness is for sure one to steal my heart.
What I made: Mexican Chili & Honey Prawns
How to make:
- Heat Coconut Oil in a saucepan, cook the diced Bell Peppers until they’re softened.
- Stir in the chopped Onions and minced Garlic. Cook until fragrant and the onions to turn golden in colour.
- Add in peeled Prawns and cook until it turns orange.
- Pour in a pack of Capsicana Mexican Chilli & Honey sauce. Stir-fry for a few minutes until the prawns are thoroughly cooked and evenly coated with the sauce. Serve immediately.
Cuban Chilli & Lime
Basing on Cuba’s famous Mojo sauce, this Cuban Chilli & Lime sauce features Habanero Chillies with orange and lime juice. It carries a very citrusy flavour and has a sharp contrast to the former two flavours above. Despite the use of Habanero Chillies, which is renowned for possessing fairly intense heat, it didn’t feel very spicy at all.
What I made: Cuban Chilli & Lime Mushrooms
How to make:
- Heat Oil in a pan and cook chopped Garlic with Chilli Flakes until fragrant.
- Add in chopped Onions and Thyme. Cook until the onions are softened and translucent.
- Then add in Mushrooms and cook until browned.
- Stir in the Capsicana Cuban Chilli & Lime sauce. Cook until thoroughly heated through and evenly coated.
- Garnish with chopped Parsley and serve immediately.
Peruvian Chilli & Lemon
Aji Verde is an incredibly popular green chilli sauce in Peru. Inspired by this delicious staple, this sauce pack features Peruvian grown Aji Amarillo Chillies and uses lemon juice to add a tangy citrus bite.
In Peru, Aji Verde is usually served with Peruvian Roasted Chicken, i.e. Pollo A La Brasa. I didn’t recreate this classic dish but I did stick with the chicken theme.
What I made: Peruvian Chilli & Lemon Chicken with Caramelized Onions
How to make:
- First marinate the Chicken Wings with Salt, Pepper, Paparika, Cayenne Pepper, Chilli Powder and a dash of Olive Oil for at least 30 minutes.
- In a hot pan, sear Chicken Wings until golden and charred. Set aside.
- Cook sliced Onions on the same pan for 20-25 minutes. Keep stirring throughout the process.
- Season with Salt and a little bit of Sugar and continue stirring for another 5 minutes.
- Add in the Chicken Wings and the Capsicana Peruvian Chilli & Lemon sauce pack. Stir until evenly coated and add in water to cover the food. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.
- The sauce should be reduced to a thick consistency and the chicken thoroughly cooked. Serve immediately.
With Capsicana, you can now easily spice up your mid week meals with their sauce packs. As a young professional living in London, I totally understand how the bustling city life sometimes leaves us no time to cook exciting foods at the end of the day (and as much as I love eating out, my bank account doesn’t always allow that!). Capsicana is one solution to quick and easy cooking, which fits our busy city lifestyle.
Each of these sauce packs offers a distinct and very different kick of flavours. There’s so much you can create with these sauce packs. For more recipe ideas, you can visit their website to get some inspiration.
They are now launched at Sainsburys so make sure you go check it out!
