I know I’m allowed to swear when it comes to Chilli Jam, after all – this is my site! CHILLIES ARE $&*! HOT
Well, before you get started on this recipe, MAKE SURE YOU WEAR GLOVES! If you don’t, then I can say “I TOLD YOU SO!!”. I thought I was pretty cool and wouldn’t need to wear gloves while dealing with these hot little pockets of colour, let me tell you, my hands burned for HOURS afterwards and no home remedy would even come close to putting the fire out on my hands – thank goodness I didn’t touch my eyes! I think having 2 hands on fire was worse than childbirth… don’t say I didn’t warn you!
So, I grow my own chillies, and there are more than enough for our needs. I had to find another way to use them up besides our homemade chilli paste. I’ve had a few nice chilli jams over the years, and with hubby going nuts over the smoking, we needed to find something to take it all to the next level.
There are only 3 ingredients in this recipe – chilli, sugar and apple cider vinegar. The quantities are all going to depend on how many chilli you have to use (or you’ve purchased).
Chop up all the chilli and put them into a heavy pot. Add roughly an equal amount of sugar to the amount of chilli – if there’s one cup of chopped chilli, add one cup of sugar. Add an equal quantity of apple cider vinegar.
Cook over a medium heat until most of the apple cider vinegar has evaporated. You also need to check that the mix has become syrupy – to test, put a spoonful of liquid onto a plate and let it cool slightly – if it has the consistency of honey, then it’s ready. If it’s too runny and has been on for an hour, add more sugar and increase the heat.
Pour into sterilised jars, cool then refrigerate. Serve on cold meats, sandwiches, cheese platters or be game and try it on ice cream with some grated chocolate.
