Tip: - When handling fresh chillies be careful not to touch sensitive areas such as your eyes. Even washing your hands afterwards is no guarantee to removing all the chilli oil. I would recommend rubbing a little olive or vegetable oil into your hands before you start to give a protective barrier to the chilli oil, but be careful with knives when you have oily hands!
Recipes Submitted by You...
Scotch Bonnet Chilli
I love, adore and need the addictive burning that only a Chilli pepper can
produce. I have finally hit upon my favourite recipe, please bear in mind
this is for serious aficionados only.
Ingredients:
500 gr Minced/Ground Beef
10 to 15 Fresh Scotch Bonnet/Habenero Chillies
6 Tablespoons of Hot Chilli powder
2 Cans of Premium chopped Tomatoes
1 Can Red Kidney Beans
4 Tablespoons Tomato Ketchup (adds sugar)
2 Good sized Onions 1 chopped, 1 Finely sliced
6 Cloves of Garlic roughly chopped and crushed
1 teaspoon Cumin powder
1 Pint Water
Oil
Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
Soured Cream
Grated Cheddar/Parmesan Cheese
Method:
In a large pan, warm enough oil to cover the base. Add Chilli powder and
stir for 2 minutes, add onions and finely chopped chillies, stir for 4
minutes until soft and onions begin to colour, add garlic, Cumin and Beef.
Continue to cook on a low heat for 10 minutes. Add the Tomatoes and drained
Kidney Beans, gently simmer for 60 minutes adding water to desired
thickness. Add a knob of butter and season to taste. Simple but very
effective, if you like it HOT!
Sprinkle with large amounts of the Cheese.
Serve with Garlic Bread and Soured cream, for that added relief.
(Submitted by Chillihead)
Recipes Submitted by Us...
CARIBBEAN
Wet Jerk Rub
All the various wet jerk rubs, dry jerk rubs, and marinades have the same core ingredients: scallions, thyme, Jamaican pimento (allspice), ginger, Scotch bonnet peppers, black pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Jamaican pimento (allspice) is essential; it is more pungent than allspice from elsewhere. The scallions used in Jamaica are more like baby red onions than the green onions we find in our produce sections. The thyme is very small leafed intensely flavoured English thyme. These are the most critical herbal flavours in jerk seasoning; the next most important flavour is Scotch bonnet peppers.
Jamaicans all grow their own Scotch bonnets, or "country peppers" as they are sometimes called. Scotch bonnets come in several varieties, all of which have a similar "round taste," an intense heat with apricot or fruity overtones. The best substitute for a Scotch bonnet is a fresh habanero pepper.
1/2 cup fresh thyme
leaves
2 bunches (about 15) green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup ginger root, finely diced
3 Scotch bonnet peppers, stemmed and finely chopped
1/4 cup peanut oil
5 garlic cloves, chopped
3 freshly ground bay leaves
2 teaspoons freshly ground allspice
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground coriander
1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
Juice of 1 lime
Combine all the ingredients into a thick, chunky paste. The mixture will keep in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for several months.
Most Jamaicans grind their spices by hand in a mortar and pestle. The whole spices tend to retain more aromatic oils in them and therefore more of a natural pungency. To save time, you can pulverize the spices in a spice grinder or coffee mill, and then add them to the other ingredients.
Yields 4 cups
Jerk Pork
3 chilli peppers,
seeded, diced
2 onions, finely chopped
1-inch piece ginger root, peeled, chopped
4 tablespoons chilli paste
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons water
3 pounds pork fillets
Place the peppers, onions, and ginger in a jar of a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the chilli paste and oil and blend. Then add the allspice, oregano, and water. Rub this mixture all over the pork. Marinate overnight. Barbecue pork fillets or roast in a 400-degree oven.
Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce
Handle Scotch bonnets with extreme caution. It's best to wear gloves when cutting and cleaning them. The tiniest drop of pepper juice on your hands can result in incredible pain should you inadvertently wipe your face or rub your eye. Enjoy this Scotch bonnet sauce, but use it sparingly!
1 tablespoon
vegetable oil
2 onions, diced
2 ripe mangoes or pawpaw (papayas),
skinned, seeded, and diced to 1/2 inch
6 carrots, diced
2 cho-cho squashes, peeled and diced
12 pimento (allspice) berries
10 whole black peppercorns
4 thyme sprigs
1 ounce ginger root, finely diced
1/2 cup sugar
8 to 12 Scotch bonnets
1/4 cup cane or cider vinegar
In a no reactive pot, heat the oil. Sauté the onions until they are translucent but not brown. Add the mangoes or pawpaws, carrots, cho-cho, pimento berries, peppercorns, thyme, and ginger. Sauté the mixture 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the sugar and Scotch bonnet peppers. When the sugar has become syrupy, add the vinegar, and cook until the carrots are soft, about 5 to 10 more minutes.
Puree the mixture in a blender, and strain it. Store it in a tightly closed bottle in the refrigerator.
Yields 3 to 4 cups
Pepper Pot
2 chickens, cut up
in pieces
(2-1/2 pounds each)
1 pig's foot
2 teaspoons salt
3 pounds pork tenderloin,
cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup cassareep
1 lg. onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 chilli peppers, seeded, diced
1 2-inch piece stick cinnamon
4 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Place the chicken pieces and pig's foot in a large stew pot and pour water in to cover. Add salt. Bring to a boil and skim scum. Cover partially and simmer for 1 hour.
Remove as much fat as possible from surface of water. Add pork, cassareep, onion, brown sugar, chillies, cinnamon, cloves, and thyme. Bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered, for another hour. Remove the cloves and cinnamon and discard. Stir in the vinegar.
Tunisian
Harisa
Hot Chilli Paste
Makes 1 cup
Harisa is the most important condiment used in Tunisian cooking, and, in fact, you need to make this recipe and keep is in the refrigerator before attempting any other Tunisian recipe. It's hard to believe that so essential a condiment could evolve only after the introduction of the New World capsicum. Harisa comes from the Arabic word for "to break into pieces," which is done by pounding hot peppers in a mortar although today a food processor can be used. This famous hot chilli paste is also found in the cooking of Algeria, Libya, and even in western Sicily, where cùscusu is made. In Tunisia it would be prepared fresh in a spice shop. The simplest recipe is merely a paste of red chilli peppers and salt that is covered in olive oil and stored. Harisa is sold in tubes by both Tunisian and French firms. The Tunisian one is better but neither can compare to your own freshly made from this recipe.
Be very careful when handling hot chilli peppers, making sure that you do not put your fingers near your eyes, nose, or mouth, or you will live to regret it. Wash your hands well with soap and water after handling chilli peppers.
2 ounces mildly hot dried guajillo chilli
peppers
2 ounces mild dried Anaheim chilli peppers
5 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
Extra virgin olive oil for topping off
1. Soak the chilli peppers in tepid water to cover until softened, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Drain and remove the stems and seeds. Place in a blender or food processor with the garlic, water, and olive oil and process until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides.
2. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and stir in the caraway, coriander, and salt. Store in a jar and top off, covering the surface of the paste with a layer of olive oil. Whenever the paste is used, you must always top off with olive oil making sure no paste is exposed to air, otherwise it will spoil.
Variation
To make a hot harisa, use 4 ounces dried guajillo chilli peppers and 1/2
ounce dried de Arbol peppers.
Note:
To make salsat al-harisa, harisa sauce, used as an accompaniment to grilled
meats, stir together 2 teaspoons harisa, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2
tablespoons water, and 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves.
Chinese
Chilli Oil
1 cup peanut oil
1/2 cup sesame oil
1 cup dried hot chillies, quartered
4 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
Heat peanut oil in a small saucepan. Add sesame oil and warm for a minute. Stir in chopped peppers and ground cayenne. Stir well and let stand for 1 hour. Strain and pour into a jar. Store in the refrigerator.
Vietnamese
Nuoc Cham
(Chilli, Garlic, and Fish Sauce)
Piquant dips do double duty as condiments and seasonings in Vietnamese cooking. The base for these is always nuoc mam and you can add ingredients such as lime juice, chopped chillies, chopped nuts, spring onions, fried garlic, ginger and fresh herbs such as coriander, sweet basil, and mint.
4 red chillies
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp sugar
2 limes, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp vinegar
5 tbsp nuoc mam (fish sauce)
Remove stalks from chillies and de-seed if you want a milder dip, though this defeats the purpose of nuoc cham. Pound garlic in a pestle and add chillies one by one, processing until you get a fine paste. Add sugar and lime pieces and pound to a pulp. Remove to a small sauce bowl and add water, vinegar, and fish sauce. Mix well and serve. Variations on the sauce can include chopped coriander, chopped ginger, pineapple, and any fresh herbs.
