Recipe for Very Spicy Fresh Chili Pepper Relish

Courtesy of our friend, V S and Dakshin, Vegetarian Cuisine from South India

Ingredients:

  • About 500 gms or 1 lb fresh green, orange and red chilies (use a thin long spicy and fragrant variety like Thai, Indian or Cayenne)
  • 2 Tbsp pure organic sesame oil
  • 4 Tbsp rapadura sugar or powdered jaggery (available in ethnic Indian grocery stores)
  • 4 Tbsp tamarind extract (Use 2 Tbsp mixed with warm water if using a concentrate – again available in ethnic Indian grocery stores)
  • Kosher salt to taste

Method:

  • To prepare the tamarind extract from fresh tamarind, take a ping pong ball sized amount and soak it in warm-hot water for 10 minutes. Use fingers to extract pulp and discard the skin and fibers.
  • Destem and wash the chilies and dry them. Slit them lengthwise without splitting them apart and set aside
  • Heat the sesame oil in a wide saute pan
  • Add the chilies and cook on medium heat while turning them occasionally until they blister well on all sides (about 15-20 mins)
  • Add the salt, tamarind extract and jaggery / rapadura sugar and cook on low heat until the tamarind cooks down (about 20 mins). Stir occasionally to make sure the bottom does not burn
  • Switch off, bottle and store in refrigerator

Notes: Based on the spiciness of your chili peppers, you may need to adjust the amount of tamarind and jaggery up or down.