Ethiopian Mild Red Chili Pepper Paste (Awaze)

Awaze is my husband's favorite dipping sauce.

Ingredients:

1 cup mild red chili pepper powder (awaze powder)*
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup dry red wine or dry sherry or tej (Ethiopian honey wine) or lemon tonic or perrier
½ cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ tablespoon fresh ginger juice
¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
Salt to taste

Preparation:

1st Step: In small bowl, mix the chili pepper, garlic powder, black pepper;

2nd Step: Add to the chili pepper mixture, wine or sherry or tej, oil, lemon juice, ginger juice, water, salt to taste; whisk it well;
3rd Step: Keep in the fridge; Serve it cold;

4th Step: Awaze Dip is used with steak, with fish; in meat sandwiches, with Injera as dipping sauce and in tuna salad.

P.S. Awaze powder is prepared from red chili pepper (berbere) without the seeds and with spices such as ginger, garlic, false cardemom.

 If you are using lemon tonic or perrier, don't use lemon juice.

If Awaze (mild chili pepper powder) is unavailable, you may use hot red chili pepper powder.

* You will find these spices in Ethiopian or Indian shops/groceries