Recipes Sauces And Condiments

Chili Jam

We used to make this in the hotel I worked in and would serve it with seasonal veggie fritters and crème fraîche. A soft boiled egg with a piece of toast slathered in butter and this is just about one of my favourite meals ever.

Ingredients

10 cloves of garlic

6 red chilies

1 red bell pepper

3 inch piece of ginger

1 inch piece of galangal (just use more ginger if you can’t find it )

8 lime leaves

3 stalks lemongrass, tough outer fibres removed

1 tbsp coriander seeds

400ml water

250g palm sugar (I’ve substituted jaggery and demerara with success)

100ml rice vinegar

25ml fish sauce

50ml soy sauce

Directions

Put the first eight ingredients in a food processor and whizz to a paste.

Put the sugar and water in a large heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to the boil and leave to bubble until a dark caramel forms. This will take quite a while. Don’t stir until the sugar has dissolved or it will crystallise.

Then add the paste, fish sauce and soy sauce and simmer until it reaches a jam like consistency. The colour should go from bright red to darker than bourguignon – be patient.

Store in sterilised jars or keep refrigerated.