Thursday, September 15, 2011

Spicy Mixed Chili Pepper Relish

I love spicy food, but there comes a point where there are just too many chili peppers to use up before they shrivel. At several points over the summer, we found ourselves with handfuls of red, green, hot, mild, cherry, thai, jalapeƱo, habanero, and, well, unidentified peppers floating around the kitchen. I finally figured out something to do with them to make them last a few weeks rather than a few days. 


All I do is pulse them in a food processor with a bit of salt, sugar, garlic, and vinegar to make a sauce that's very similar to Sambal. It can be used in place of sambal or sriracha in any recipe. Be warned! Depending on the type of peppers you choose to use, your sauce could be mild as a mouse or hell-fire hot. Please test it before you dump a whole bunch into your grits.


Here are a few great recipes to try out your chili pepper relish:


Roasted Red Pepper Soup + Sambal & Cinnamon
Baked Lemongrass Tofu 
Cashew Noodle Salad


Spicy Mixed Pepper Relish


1 1/2 cup mixed peppers (destemmed)
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vinegar




Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until they're very finely chopped. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.