Sos ti malis
A Haitian hot sauce of habanero or Scotch bonnet, onion, shallot and garlic, softened in vinegar and lime, simmered briefly and served on grilled or fried meat and seafood.
Haitian epis
Epis · Epis · Epise · Zepis · Haitian seasoning base
A Haitian seasoning base of fresh herbs, peppers, onion, garlic, citrus and vinegar, blended to a paste, used to marinate meat and fish and to start soups, stews, rice and beans.
Overview
Epis is the seasoning base of Haitian cooking. It is a paste of fresh herbs, peppers, onion, garlic and citrus, often with vinegar and oil, that cooks blend and keep on hand to season a dish from its start. The paste is spoonable, and it is used both raw as a marinade and cooked into a sauce, soup or stew. The article says its acidity helps prevent spoilage.
Sources for this section
Name and origins
Epis is also written epise and zepis. The article describes the seasoning as having Taíno and African origins and as resembling the sofrito of Hispanic cooking. The sources give no date or documented first maker for the paste, so the origin rests on general statements rather than an attested record.
Haitian households are described as each keeping a personal recipe, and regional recipes differ. This record keeps one formulation and does not claim a single standard epis.
Sources for this section
What goes in
Parsley, green onion and thyme are the herb core, and bell pepper and onion give body. Garlic adds pungency, and habanero or Scotch bonnet adds the heat. Lime juice and white vinegar supply the acid, and oil is part of the paste. Ground cloves and a bouillon cube are optional in the page's recipe.
Many recipes add allspice, thyme or citrus in different proportions, and the article notes that the paste changes with the cook and the region. The record keeps the one formulation the BMC page gives and lists the other ingredients as documented variations.
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Making it
Traditionally the herbs and aromatics are pounded to a paste in a large wooden mortar, the munsh pilon. Most cooks now use a blender or food processor, and the paste is blended to the smoothness the cook wants. The page's method is to chop the herbs, pepper and onion roughly, add everything to the blender, blend until paste-like, and add water a tablespoon at a time if the paste is too thick.
The paste is then poured into a jar and refrigerated. The page gives no storage duration.
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Use and storage
Epis is used as a marinade for meat and fish and as a flavour for rice and beans, soups and stews. Griot and Haitian spaghetti are among the dishes it starts. The Wikipedia article says the paste keeps up to three months in the refrigerator, depending on ingredients, and that it can be frozen in ice cube trays for later use, and it says the paste lasts indefinitely in the freezer without taking up other odours. That freezing claim is the article's and is not tested here.
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History
The Wikipedia article describes epis as having Taíno and African origins and as resembling Hispanic sofrito, and notes that the traditional method uses a large wooden mortar and pestle. No dated source records when the paste was first made.
Ingredients
Yield 8 servings · Scaling: the page gives one batch that serves 8; scale the herbs, peppers and aromatics together, and treat the bouillon and cloves as optional.
Parsley, green onion and thymeAssorted fresh herbs, roughly chopped.
237 mL1 cup as recorded
One cup of assorted fresh herbs in total.Bell pepperRed or green; roughly chopped.
1 small
OnionYellow or white; roughly chopped.
1 onion
GarlicFresh; peeled.
6 cloves
Habanero pepperGreen or red.
1 pepper
One to two peppers.Ground cloves (optional)
2.5 mL½ tsp as recorded
LimeJuiced.
1 lime
White vinegar
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
Bouillon (optional)Low-sodium.
1 packet or cube
One or two, optional.OilVegetable or canola oil.
59 mL¼ cup as recorded
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
One to two tablespoons, added if the blend is too thick.Method
- Roughly chop the herbs, bell pepper and onion, and peel the garlic.
- Put all the ingredients into a blender or food processor.
- Blend until paste-like. If it is too thick, add water one tablespoon at a time.
- Pour into a jar and refrigerate.
Conditions
Yield8 servings
Active time10 min
Places
Haiti
Traditional preparation · Country evidenceThe sources name Haiti as the place of origin and say that recipes differ by region and by household; no locality is documented.
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Sources
WikipediaHistory · Ingredients · Method · Storage · Uses
EpisEpis is a blend of peppers, garlic and herbs used as a flavour base in Haitian cuisine; also known as epise and zepis.
Epis often contains parsley, scallions, garlic, citrus juice and Scotch bonnet peppers, with vinegar, cloves, thyme, allspice, bouillon and onion in many recipes.
Traditionally made in a large wooden mortar and pestle (munsh pilon); today often blended.
Used as a marinade for meat and fish and to flavour rice and beans, soups and stews; the article lists griot and Haitian spaghetti.
Keeps up to three months refrigerated; freezes well in ice cube trays; the article says it lasts indefinitely in the freezer without transferring its odour.
Cited in: Overview; Name and origins; What goes in; Making it; Use and storage
Boston Medical CenterMethod · Ingredients
Epis (Haitian Seasoning Mix)Serves 8; ingredients include 1 cup assorted parsley, green onions and thyme, 1 small bell pepper, 1 onion, 6 garlic cloves, 1 to 2 habanero peppers, optional 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 lime, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, optional bouillon, 1/4 cup oil and 1 to 2 tablespoons water.
Method: chop, blend to a paste, add water a tablespoon at a time if thick, refrigerate in a jar; the page gives no storage duration or freezing guidance.
Cited in: Overview; What goes in; Making it