Preserving chillies?

Dex

Hi Nanokitten,

no probs it's from the delicious magazine, it really is awesome . I tailored it slightly to my taste and what was in my cupboard. I didn't use coriander seeds cause I didn't have any, I used ground coriander instead. I left out the ginger cause I don't like it and I forgot to add the soy:rolleyes: but basically it's the recipe below. It was so easy it took next to no time - about 45 mins:D

Whats your recipe for ketchup? I've never made it but I certainly eat enough of the stuff


Ingredients

1. 2 tsp cumin seeds
2. 2 tsp coriander seeds
3. 750g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
4. 2 onions, finely chopped
5. 2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
6. 2 large mild red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
7. 5cm piece fresh ginger, grated
8. 250ml white wine vinegar
9. 300g soft light brown sugar
10. 2 tsp fish sauce (nam pla) or soy sauce

Method

1. 1. Put the cumin and coriander seeds in a small frying pan and toast over a low heat for 1 minute, then crush in a pestle and mortar.
2. 2. Put the tomatoes and onions in a wide pan with the garlic, chillies and ginger. Add the spices, vinegar and sugar. Bring to the boil, then simmer until reduced to a jam-like consistency. Add the fish sauce and cook for 2 more minutes before spooning into sterilised jars.
3. 3. Seal the jars while hot, then allow to cool completely before labelling and storing. Tastes fantastic with cheese.

yogiberr

hiya,

I have some chillies that will go bad soon.Obviously I can't eat them all at once!

Any suggestions on whether I can cook them then just freeze them?
I think If i freeze them without cooking they'll trurn to pulp after defrost..

ta,

yogi

Badrick

http://www.chillies-down-under.com/freezing-chillies.html

Pink.

Hi yogiberr,

I freeze chillies as they are without pre-cooking. When I need them I use them straight from the freezer...if you allow them to defrost they go soft and are much harder to chop/deseed etc.

This thread has more information on freezing chillies:

Preserving chillies?

I'll add your thread to that one later once you've had more replies to keep the suggestions together.

Pink

Primrose

I also freeze my chillis intact in a plastic bag and chop them from frozen as they're quite easy to deal with. They don't have a lot of liquid in them so won't turn to mush when they thaw. Just be sure to keep your fingers well away from your face and eyes.

redlady_1

So, I thought I had done everything right. I left them on the side until they looked as if they were shrivelling up then put them in a kilner jar.

Fast forward to this morning to find they are all mouldy! What on earth did I do wrong please?

HariboJunkie

redlady_1 wrote: »

So, I thought I had done everything right. I left them on the side until they looked as if they were shrivelling up then put them in a kilner jar.

Fast forward to this morning to find they are all mouldy! What on earth did I do wrong please?

They just weren't dry enough when they went into the jar Missus. They need to be REALLY shrivelled first.

zippychick

ive merged this with our preserving chillies thread which has loads of suggestions

Zip

horrorshowmalchick

You could keep them in oil, and then use the oil instead of the chillies themeslves for cooking with. Capsacin is fat soluble (this is why drinking milk washes spice out of your mouth better than water), so the oil holds the flavour really well and it lasts for dozens of meals.

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

I like to buy and freeze fresh chillis of choice and freeze them.
My new arrangement is an assortment of chillis in little freezer proof Duralex bowls that way they are [finally] in a stable position. So now I can work my way through them by using them frozen preferably being able to de-seed them prior to use.
Unless there is a better way???!!:beer::money:
I also am starting to grow them as I now have 3 plants which hopefully will produce chillis and mean I save more money in the long run.