Wiener MojoThecha Sauce

For pasta, dumplings and more (?)

The inspiration came from an Arte TV show that is pure food porn for us. Zu Tisch or To The Table is a unique concept that tracks the lives of food producers and the meals they cook. I have watched with barely concealed greed as families engaged in farming, dairy, poultry, wine, oil, date palm production (and many more) cook traditional recipes or experiment (at times to the disapproval of older relatives) with their own produce or their neighbour's. But this particular recipe has older roots.

I have been making a version of the Maharashtrian Thecha Chutney for a while now to add something spicy to the increasing bread in my diet. While the German rye bread with coriander seeds is a family favourite, the accompaniments are often uninspiring if you are a vegetarian.

Thecha is a spicy chutney made from hot green or red chillies (fresh or dried), garlic, peanuts and salt. After a few tries, I realised that I would like it better without the peanuts and the garnishing tadka (mustard seeds and asafoetida).

I learned about mojo sauce in last week's Zu Tisch show, which was shot in Teneriffe, a Spanish island off the coast of North Africa. Mojo sauces derives its name from the peppers (bell peppers, pimento, jalapeño etc) or so the internet says. According to many recipes I have looked at since then, the red dip is often made from red bell peppers, garlic, seasoning blended with bread crumbs and a little vinegar while the green mojo is a blend of fresh herbs, jalapeño, garlic and seasoning.

For me it was love at first sight and I had to recreate it at the earliest opportunity.

With the wisdom gained from the Thecha experience, I skipped the bread crumbs but kept the vinegar (apple cider, in my case). I also added a handful of fresh coriander from my garden. Once my sauce was ready, use for it arose immediately.

My family was making bread dumplings with Gulash (that delectable Bohemian dish that you can enjoy with Seiten or Jackfruit chunks if you are a vegetarian) and I needed a veggie alternative.

In the past, I have made creamy mushroom but why not use this sauce? Mojo sauce is served with cheese and bread but Thecha is served with Maharashtrian breads as well as rice dishes.

Very soon I lost control of the plot - if everyone was having meat then why shouldn't I? Some mini wiener soya sausages came into the picture too.

I no longer know what to call this monstrosity. It will probably offend people from the Canary Islands as well as the Kolapuris. But the crazy part is that it was one of the best sauces I have created for both dumplings and pasta. So why not share it?

MojoThecha Sauce
2 larger bell peppers - red or orange (yellow acceptable)
2-5 cloves of garlic (I am on the 4-5 spectrum)
Handful of coriander or cilantro and parsley. (Replace with available fresh herbs)
Salt - to taste; pepper, optional - if you need more pep like I do.
2 tbsp Olive oil

Blend

If you are using this as a dip, mix some vinegar at this stage (wine or cider ones recommended) and let it sit for 15-20 minutes.
Alternatively, Thecha and Green Mojo recipes recommend that you squeeze a little lemon and let it settle down. This has worked wonders for my chutneys.




Proceed at your own risk to the Wiener MojoThecha
Chop one large onion in long slices. Saute them in a medium-sized pan (use butter if you want to do what is right by your sauce)

While they are frying, chop the sausages into small pieces. Add them to the pan once the onions are translucent. Wiener sausages don't change their colour so you have to check their consistency periodically.

If they have a light coat and are reasonably soft, reduce the heat.
Add some vinegar and stir in the sauce in slowly. The sauce doesn't need to cook for too long - remember it was only ever supposed to be a dip.

(You can, also, replace veggie sausages with soya nuggets. Follow instructions on the packet and throw them in after you have added the sauce to the pan. Do not overcook the nuggets).