Chilli Jam is one of my pantry staples. I always have a jar of this at home. This is such a great condiment and can be used in a variety of dishes.
You can enjoy this with noodles, rice, soups, sandwiches and lots more. It's a great addition on a cheeseboard or charcuterie board. I actually love to add dollops of this chilli jam on top of crackers, yes it's hot as but oh so delish!
It might seem like a lot of chillies but remember that this jam mellows down in spice as it sits. The sweet, sour, spicy and salty elements all blend together beautifully and form the perfect dip. If you feel it is really spicy or salty or sweet or sour, don't stress, trust me it will change flavors in a few days. So taste again and adjust seasoning accordingly. And therefore, this is best eaten after several days of preparation.
Ingredients:
Dried red chillies - 9
Fresh red chillies (not hot variety) - 9
Fresh red chillies - 9
Oil - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - 4 tbsps
Coconut sugar - 5 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Garlic - 10 cloves
Ginger - thumb inch piece
Shallots - 8
Method:
Soak the dried red chillies in boiling water to soften it. Start by blending only the chillis - preferably use a chopper for a slightly chunky texture, you can totally grind everything to a paste as well. Once the chillies are all chopped, add your shallots, ginger & garlic. Blend again. You want a slightly chunky but still smooth texture.
Next add your oil to a non-stick pan. Add your chilli mixture and start to stir. Now add your salt & sugar. Next add the tamarind paste and about 1/2 cup water (you can add the water in which the chillies were soaking). Now you need to cook this until the liquid evaporates. You will see how the chilli mixture turns from a bright red to a deep red as it cooks down.
Please adjust seasoning as you go along, if you feel it needs more sweet, salty or sour elements then just add accordingly. After all the liquid has evaporated you get a beautiful jammy texture with the oil separating.
Cool and store in glass jars.
Comments