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Capsicum Durban's Chilli Recipe

Neo Moshoeu • Sep 29, 2022

Caring For Our Chillies

 

Chillies need a warm, sunny spot for the best results and the hottest chillies. Ideally, grow them in a greenhouse or raise them in pots on a patio or windowsill. Chillies love water so always keep the soil moist, watering every day or two. Ensure the soil or compost is free draining. Feed weekly with a fertilizer once plants have started flowering, and harvest chillies as and when they appear. Enjoy!

 

Smoking Hot Chilli Facts

 

There are thousands of chilli varieties to grow, in a huge range of colours, shapes, sizes and levels of heat, from mild to extremely hot. Many have unique flavours, with some offering a hint of lemon and others having a fruitier taste.

 

A chilli’s heat is measured on the Scoville scale, a test created in 1912, in which the more water needed to dilute a chilli solution before a human taster can no longer detect the chilli determines the number of Scovilles. Today, testing is done by machines. A score of around 3,000 Scovilles is deemed hot, with record-breaking chillies such as 'Carolina Reaper' topping the two million mark.

Many chilli varieties are available to buy in supermarkets, but you will have a much greater range to choose from if you grow chillies yourself. They're very easy to grow from seed, and grow best in containers, which means they are perfect for a sunny patio or balcony. You can also buy ready-grown chilli plants at the garden centre in spring.

All chillies are bred from just five species:

·       Capsicum annuum – the most common chilli species, from which sweet and paprika peppers originate.

·       Capsicum baccatum – includes the a family of chillies, popular in Peruvian dishes.

·       Capsicum chinense – a hot variety of chilli, from which we have habanero and scotch bonnet chillies.

·       Capsicum fruitescens – where tabasco Thai-style chillies come from.

·       Capsicum pubescens – these are hot chillies with distinctive black seeds.

Several online nurseries specialize in chilli seeds, offering a range of interesting and unusual varieties you can use in different dishes, from Mexican salsas to Thai curries.

 

 

Mango Chilli Chutney


MAKES 800 ML

COOKS IN 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES

DIFFICULTY EASY PEASY

Ingredients

·       2 kg mangos (firm, but ripe)

·       8 cardamom pods

·       2 cloves of garlic

·       1 fresh red chilli

·       500 ml white wine vinegar

·       400 g granulated sugar

·       1 teaspoon cumin seeds

·       1 teaspoon coriander seeds

·       1 teaspoon chilli powder

·       8cm piece of ginger

 

Method

1.    Peel, stone and roughly chop the mangos; set aside.

2.    Remove the cardamom seeds from the pods. Peel and finely chop the garlic, then trim and finely chop the chilli.

3.    Add the vinegar and sugar to a large pan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and reduce by a couple of centimetres.

4.    Gently toast the cumin, coriander and cardamom seeds until aromatic, then crush with the chilli powder using a pestle and mortar. Add to the vinegar pan, along with the chopped mango, nigella seeds and 2 teaspoons of sea salt.

5.    Finely grate in the ginger, add the garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour until it has a thick, syrupy consistency, adding the chopped chilli for the last 10 minutes.

6.    Divide among sterilised jars, seal and keep for up to 6 months

 

 

Chilli-Infused Olive Oil


MAKES 1Litre

Prep Quick Sticks (5 minutes)

DIFFICULTY you got this

Ingredients

·       1-litre virgin olive oil

·       2-5 chilli peppers of your choice, seeded and sliced

 

Method

1.    Wash chilli peppers, split lengthways and remove seeds

2.    Place the chillies in a tall bottle and fill them with olive oil. Place a stopper or tight-fitting lid and allow to infuse for a minimum of 1 week.

3.    Use chilli oil to cook with or drizzle over freshly made pasta for a little kick of flavour.

 

Chefs note:

You can use any variation of chilli or as many as you like to adjust the heat and flavour of the oil


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