I've always been a sucker to sweet-chili-anything. There's always a bottle or two hanging around my pantry, but recently, after coming across about a quarter-kilo of adorable little chili peppers, I didn't want them to go to waste -- what better way to utilize them than to preserve them for months and months, in the form of sweet-chili-jam? Sweet with a touch of savory, and a slight zing of heat, this jam is mind-blowing with cheese (imagine it with Brie ), glorious in sandwiches, and makes an epic glaze on meats — either way you use it, you won’t be disappointed!
It all comes together in about 45 minutes, and thickens up quite a bit because of the pectin in the chili seeds. While the ratio of salt and sugar in this recipe is quite vast (definitely a lot sweeter than it is savory) feel free to add more salt, and play with other items, like a chopped red capsicum, or a beet. The possibilities with this jam are quite endless. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
• 250g red chili peppers
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1x 3cm chunk of peeled ginger
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 5 teaspoons salt
Method:
— Remove green heads from chili and roughly chop. Add chillis, ginger, garlic cloves and tomatoes to a food processor. Blitz until finely chopped.
— Pour mixture into a very wide saucepan (do not use a small one or it’ll overflow when boiled-the wider, the better) along with the sugar and vinegar. Place over high heat and bring to the boil.
— As it boils, skim off the orange foam as it floats to the top (the foam will subside the longer the jam cooks.)
— Once the foam is gone, reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the jam has reduced and is very thick (so when you run a spoon through it, it should leave a trail). This takes about 25-35 minutes. Switch off the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.
— Pour the jam into a 500ml glass jar, seal and allow to cool before refrigerating.
— Enjoy!
