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.
Chilli Paste – Homegrown Best Ever Hot Chilli Recipe
Chilli Paste – straight from the garden and ready to use year round! I have to say, growing your own fresh produce is really rewarding, until you kill something and then have to replace it with another plant (yep, I’ve done that a few times!).
I’d like to thank my mate Dave for his own recipe for Chilli Paste which I have changed slightly to suit our needs – nevertheless, it’s a great paste – thank you Dave!!
So, some time back, Dave tells me about this chilli paste he makes with all the chilli he grows and was saying that he always has fresh chilli in the fridge, ready to use.
Fast forward a few years, “Dave, that chilli sauce you used to make – I made some when you first told me about it, and we have just finished off the jar – how do you make it again?”
So Dave gave me his version – mine is a bit different but still based on the same kind of principals.
The chilli which I have here is a medium heat one – you can use whatever you can get locally in season (or out of your garden).
Wash the chilli and then cut off the ends.
Trim them into smaller pieces and then put them into a heavy based saucepan. Cover them with Apple Cider vinegar (Dave used just normal vinegar, but I am after all a bit of a rebel). Add about a tablespoon of sugar and a sprinkling of salt.
On a medium to low heat, gently simmer the chilli and vinegar until the liquid only just covers the base of the pan – this is why you need a really low heat so that it doesn’t burn – keep an eye on it!
Once the liquid has reduced, it should look something like this – see how the chilli is shiny and wet, but there’s just about no liquid left in the pan? Remove from the heat and let it cool.
Once the mixture has cooled, blitz it using a hand blender, NutriBullet, food processor or whatever blending appliance you have. Add a little olive oil to the mix to obtain a smooth consistency – the oil will help keep it preserved in the fridge.
Store in a glass container in the fridge – after putting into the jar, add a little extra oil to the jar to seal the top of the mixture.
See how this has changed colour – this is after it was blended.