Name: Chili Pepper and Shrimp Sambal (Shito/Shitor/Shito Din/Mako Tuntum)
Cuisine: Ghanaian
Ingredients: 1 cup dried shrimp (from a 3.5-ounce/100-gram package); 1 to 2 cups vegetable oil, such as canola or peanut (not red palm oil); ¼ cup ginger paste (from pureed fresh ginger or bought); ¼ cup dried ground red pepper (for medium-heat); ¼ cup garlic paste (from pureed fresh garlic or bought); 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional); 2 cups canned mackerel (from a 15-ounce/425-gram can); 2 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes; 2 large onions, cut into chunks

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Ghana Cookbook

By Fran Osseo-Asare and Barbara Baëta

Published 2015

About

Traditionally shito (SHE-toe) was as ubiquitous in Ghana as ketchup is in the U.S. Shito literally means “pepper” in the Ga language, and can refer to hot peppers or the hot sauce/condiment itself made from dried peppers, dried shrimps, and sometimes small dried herrings as well as onion, tomato, and other seasonings.

When I taught in Nungua, a Ga area, Ga Kenkey (aka komi) was commonly eaten with shito and fried fish (<