Easy Pickled Chillies - Two Recipes

 Easy recipe for pickling chillies! 🌶🌶🌶

INGREDIENTS

Chillies of choice (scaled to your jar of choice)

1 cup water

1 cup white/red grape vinegar

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp pickling salt / sea salt

1 piece cinnamon

2 all spice berries

1 clove

OR

1 crushed garlic clove

sprig of fresh rosemary or oregano (1/4 tsp dried)

4 or 5 black peppercorns

OR

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp coriander seeds

thin slice of lemon peel

METHOD

1. Sterilize your jar and let it dry. Then add your aromatics of choice to the bottom of the jar. 

2. Slice chillies in half or rings and remove seeds. Leave some seeds and white membrane if you prefer a bit more bite! Pack tightly in the jar. 

3. In a saucepan, bring the water, vinegar and salt to a boil. Let it simmer until the sugar has dissolved. 

4. Carefully pour the boiling brine over the chillies, make sure it covers all of them. Leave about a cm of "headspace" at the top. 

5. Screw on the lid tightly and flip upside down for a minute to help it seal. Then turn back up. 

6. Now you have to wait. Store in a cool dark place for at least 1 week for the flavour to develop. Once opened, store in the fridge. It will last for 4 - 6 months, but be careful about introducing bacteria: always keep the chillies submerged; don't use your fingers or a "used" fork or spoon to take out. Always use clean spoons or forks. Best used in 6 months for optimal flavour and crunch. 

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RECIPE #2

250 - 500 g chillies of choice (sliced in half and seeds removed)

1/2 cup white grape vinegar / apple cider vinegar / rice vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 TBS sugar (or raw honey)

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp mustard seeds 

1 tsp coriander seeds 

2 bay leaves 

METHOD

1. First sterilize your jar. Wash in hot soapy water and rinse off, but do not dry

2. Put in preheated oven set to 120 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes 

3. Put chillies in the hot jar

4. Prepare the brine: bring ingredients to the boil, adding bay leaves and seeds after sugar has melted

5. Pour hot liquid over the chillies, make sure to cover the chillies completely. Leaving a cm of headspace at the top

6. Screw on the lid tightly and flip over and leave for a minute or two to seal

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AROMATICS VARIATIONS (Per jar):

1 clove

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 - 1 tsp coriander / cumin / black mustard seeds 

1/4 tsp dried rosemary / oregano

*substitute the sugar for honey - it gives a different, but nice, flavour profile!

1- 2 garlic cloves, sliced in slivers

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NOTES

Ideally let the jar mature in a cool dark dry place for 1 week before opening

Unopened it should last for up to a year in the pantry

Once opened, store in the fridge for 4 - 6 months, always ensuring that the chillies are covered with brine

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[EXTRA NOTES]:

Last batch peppadews: mustard seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon, honey

Chillies: mustard seeds, bay leaves, oreganum, garlic, lemon & garlic spice

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1:1 ratio

1 cup water

1 cup vinegar

1 - 2 TBS sugar

1- 2 tsp kosher salt

3:2:1 ratio - slightly sweeter

3 parts vinegar

2 parts water

1 part sugar 

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PEPPADEW VERSION 1:

coriander, coarse 

mustard seeds

bay leaves x 2

1/4 tsp cinnamon powder 

water

ACV

brown sugar

kosher salt

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PEPPADEW VERSION 2 - SWEET PEPPADEWS 1:1:1 ratio (plain version)

Since I like to make 1 - 2 jars at a time (too much work and time consuming deseeding those chillies), this is my 1 jar method for a standard size jam/honey jar: 

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup sugar 

1 tsp kosher salt

Deseed chillies and pack tightly into glass jar

Bring brine ingredients to a boil and let simmer till sugar melts, stirring, then pour over chilies

*optional extras: cinnamon stick and pinch of ginger or all spice (dried). Just a tiny pinch, otherwise it will cloud the brine