The
recipes below are for four different chilli pastes, which I always have in
my store cupboard. I use those convenient condiments whenever I need to
add fire and piquancy. A spoonful, two, or more will add relish to
mayonnaises, yoghurt sauces, salads or stews. I also use them as a part of
a marinade for a braai and to ‘devil’
– spread on steaks, chicken or fish. To devil is a quaint English
word meaning to add chilli (usually powdered cayenne).
HARRIEF
- Hot Pepper Sauce
My
favourite hot sauce, I make it in large quantities and use it to add
instant piquancy wherever needed. It goes into sauces, soups, stews,
salads and pasta or brushed on fish or meats before braaing.
2
kg sweet red peppers
250 g fresh red chillies, trimmed and de seeded
250 g garlic, peeled
250 ml cider or distilled malt vinegar
150 ml fruity olive oil
3 tbsp salt
1 -
2 tbsp chilli powder
2 tbsp roasted, freshly ground cumin
2 tsp arrowroot or corn flour
(Makes
about 1kg)
Roast
the peppers on an open flame or under a grill until their skin is evenly
charred. Place the hot peppers in a plastic bag, close and allow to stand
for a few minutes — the steam created makes the peppers easy to peel.
Peel the peppers under running water, wash well, core and de-seed.
Put
the peppers together with the chilli, garlic and oil in a food processor
and process until the vegetables are finely chopped. Transfer into a non
-corrosive pan and add vinegar, salt and chilli powder, if used. Reduce
the heat and simmer gently, stirring frequently, for about 1-1 ½ hours or
until the sauce has reduced by a third.
Roast
the cumin seeds in a small frying pan for a few minutes until they start
to pop and produce a pleasant aroma allow to cool and grind to a fine
powder. If wished the cumin can be roasted and added whole.
Combine
the starch with the cumin and mix to a paste with a little vinegar and
stir into the sauce. Raise the heat and boil the sauce rapidly for 1
minute, stirring constantly. Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal. The
sauce is ready immediately but mellows with keeping.
It
is difficult to give exact quantity of chillies, since the varieties
differ in heat. For this recipe, I used the large red Westland, which
gives a hot but not scorching result. Others such as red Jalapeno, or any
other red chillies can be used.
For
a smoother sauce: simmer for 1 hour, pass through a sieve or process in a
food processor return to the pan and finish as above.
HARISSA
Here
is a basic recipe for this famous, fiercely hot Moroccan paste. Before
using it, you can soften its flavour with tomato purée or puréed fresh
tomatoes. Some garlic, coriander and cumin may be added.
500
g dry red chillies, stems and seeds removed
150 ml olive oil and a little to cover
2 ½ tbsp salt
(Makes
about 500 g)
Place
seedless chillies in a bowl. Add enough hot water to cover and leave to
stand for about 30 minutes until soft. Do this in a well-ventilated
kitchen, as the fumes can be noxious.
Drain
the chillies and place with about 100 ml of the soaking water in a food
processor and process into a paste. Stir in the oil and salt and pack into
dry, sterile jars.
Cover the paste with a thin layer of oil, then seal and
refrigerate. The harissa is ready to use immediately.
SCHUG
Schug
is a hot chilli past with an amazing fresh flavour. It comes from Yemen
were it is used in a wide range of dishes and appears as the favourite
condiment at every meal. If you prefer a milder version, replace half or
more of the chillies with green peppers.
1
large head of garlic, peeled
750 g fresh green chillies, stem end trimmed
150 g fresh coriander, leaves and stems, root end trimmed
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cardamom
2 tsp cloves
1 ½ tbsp salt
a little olive oil, to cover
(Makes
about 1 kg)
Finely
mince or chop the garlic, chillies and fresh coriander in the mincer or
food processor. Grind all the spices in a spice mill or a coffee
grinder. Sieve into the chilli and garlic mixture, then stir in the salt
and mix well.
Tightly
pack into dry, sterile jars. Cover with a thin layer of oil (this prevents
mould from forming) and seal. Keep refrigerated.
CHILLI JAM
Chilli
jam seems to be very much in fashion recently. Strictly speaking, it is
not a jam but a chilli paste, which stems from the Malay and South East
Asia chilli sambals.
500 g tomatoes
2 medium onions, unpeeled
1 large head of garlic, unpeeled
3 - 4 tbsp sesame or groundnut oil
100 - 150 g hot red chillies such long red Thai or red jalapeno
5 cm ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 lemon grass, finely chopped
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla) or 1½ tsp salt
150 g moist, brown sugar or palm sugar
2 limes, juice and grated peel
(Makes about 500 g)
Pre
heat the oven to high. Halve the tomatoes, width
wise, and scoop out the seeds. Place the sliced tomatoes, cut side down,
on a foil lined, oiled baking tray together
with the chillies, unpeeled onion and garlic and generously brush with
oil. Place in the hot oven for about 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are
soft and the chilli skin is charred and blistered. Return the garlic and
onion to the oven and roast for further 15 minutes or until onion and
garlic are soft. Allow to cool.
Peel
the onion and squeeze the garlic out of its skin. Remove the tomato peel,
skin the chillies and remove their hard stems. I like to include the
chilli’s seeds in this recipe. For a milder version, remove the seeds.
Place
the baked vegetables together with the ginger and lemon grass in a food
processor and process to a smooth paste.
Transfer
the paste in to a small, non-corrosive pan. Add the sugar fish sauce, and
lime and bring to the boil, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar.
Simmer very gently for about 45-60 minutes or until the mixture is glossy
and thick. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Bottle
and seal. Keep refrigerated.
