Homemade Chilli Salt (2008-12-21)
Thank gosh for the general Japanese public's unlove of spicy food that once in a blue moon enables me to find cheap chilies like this bag of chili peppers I bought for just US50 cents! I saw them sitting in a basket on the floor in a produce shop unnoticed by most shoppers and passed up by the few who took a glance at them. I of course grabbed one faster than you can say "Hot!".
When I bit into a piece no bigger than the size of my pinky nail, I
shrieked! These are the hottest chilies I've ever tasted in my
life. The fire from the itsy bitsy piece numbed my mouth
instantly and my tongue could feel absolutely nothing for the next 15
minutes!
This bag I bought should last us a very long time knowing how hot
they are and I would only use one at a time in the rare occasions I do
cook spicy food. With so many in the bag, I thought I'd make some
chili salt which I haven't made in a long time. It's again, a
"recipe" adapted from Jamie Oliver's.
If you love spicy food, use the chili salt instead of normal table
salt to sprinkle on dishes or simply season meat with it and panfry,
the end result is delicious. Another good use is to make a lot,
bottle it in pretty glass jars, tie a ribbon around each and give them
away as Christmas gifts. To friends and families who like spicy
food, this homemade "gourmet" salt maybe more welcome than a box of
chocolate! Okay, maybe not...
- Process or blend one cup kosher salt with 2-3 coarsely chopped chilies (amount varies depending on the heat of the chilies and how hot you want the chili salt to be) which have been seeded (leave the seeds in if you are game!) till the salt turns orange and no big pieces of chilies are left.
- Spread out the salt onto a tray and air dry for a day or two till all the moisture is gone and the salt feels dry.
- Optional: Pass the salt through a sieve to remove any bits of
chilies.
That's it, the salt is ready for use.
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