Making Chilli relishes and pastes

So easy to make

Making Chilli relishes and pastes at home is easy. If you follow the instructions in these recipes, in no time at all, you will have home-made Chilli relishes and pastes that all will admire

A relish is a condiment used to accompany food. Its difference from a sauce is its texture and viscosity (its pouring ability). Relishes are used as an accompaniment to a cooked meal or spread on bread. On the other hand, pastes are generally used to add flavour to a meal before cooking.  Both relishes and pastes are thicker than hot sauces.

Enjoy your relish and Chilli paste making.

Making Chilli pastes is an excellent way of preserving Chillies from your homegrown Chilli harvest.  They can be made with dried or fresh Chillies and are a great way of ensuring that you always have a convenient way of adding piquancy to your favourite spicy dishes. Once made, a jar can be kept refrigerated and used when required,  on a teaspoon or  tablespoon basis

Let's make Chilli paste

To make Chilli paste, you will  need the following:

Ingredients

• Dried Red  Chillies- 100 grams ( see note to make this paste with fresh chillies)
• Onion – one large ( roughly chopped)
• Garlic – 10 cloves (finely chopped)
• Cashew or Macadamia nuts  - five ( roughly chopped)
• White sugar – One teaspoon
• Salt -one teaspoon
• Vegetable oil – 125 ml

Make sure you have washed your jars and their lids in warm soapy water before beginning with the cooking; rinse with fresh water and allow to air dry. You can also dry the jars in a low-temperature oven ( 100 degrees Celsius) for 10 minutes

How to make the Chilli paste

1. Chop the Chillies into bite-size pieces
2. Cover with boiling water in a glass bowl
3. Soak for 30 minutes
4. Drain the chillies, which by now should be rehydrated. Reserve the steeping water
5. Place into a blender with the balance of the ingredients, except the oil
6. Blend until quite smooth
7. Heat the oil in a skillet to a medium temperature
8. Fry the Chilli paste for two to three minutes and then turn down the heat
9. Cook for an hour, stirring regularly. If it starts getting dry, use a bit of the reserved water from the steeping to make it  runnier
10. Once cooked, remove from the cooker and allow to cool
11. Spoon into clean jar(s) and screw on the lid(s). Place in the refrigerator
12. Once refrigerated, the Chilli paste will keep for two weeks. If frozen, it can be kept for far longer.

Note

This paste can be made with a pound ( 450 grams of Fresh Chillies. To do this, the steeping in the hot water stage can be eliminated. Go directly to the frying stage. The fresh chilli sauce only has a cooking time of 5 to 0 minutes. It can then be bottled in the same way as the Chilli paste made with dried Chillies. It too will last for about two weeks in the refrigerator

In both instances, if the sauce is bottled in properly prepared jars for canning, it will last far longer