Some of you may have read what I wrote the other day about making smoked paprika. Now I have done a similar thing to produce some unsmoked paprika / chilli powder.
Over the last few months I have been accumulating a stash of chillis and sweet peppers in a basket in the airing-cupboard. Most of them had dried out completely, so I judged it to be the right moment to make some chilli powder. Actually, even the chillis were mostly pretty mild in heat terms this year, so the powder is somewhere between a hot paprika and a mild chilli powder.
The majority of the chillis in that batch were "Cyclon", "Sumher" and "Cayenne". I think the "Cayenne" was the hottest of the three, and "Cyclon" the mildest, with hardly any heat at all - effectively a sweet pepper.
Not all of the chillis were completely dry, so I have put them back in the airing-cupboard for a bit longer. They don't grind well if they are not crispy.
I ground the dry ones into a coarse powder, using our spice-grinder aka coffee-grinder. That trayful of chillis produced this amount of powder:
I didn't weigh it before putting it in a jar, but it looks like about 5 or 6 times as much as the batch of smoked paprika I made, which weighed 25g, so this is probably 125 - 150g. It filled half a jam-jar.
Jane says it looks very like the Kashmiri chilli powder, which is noted for its vibrant clour, not for its heat. Yes, it's certainly vibrant! It should add some nice colour to a curry or goulash.
That looks a better result quantity wise. I can see that you'll be increasing the number of chilli plants you grow if you're happy with the taste.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful color!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful week-end!
Lea
Mark can you recommend any chilli varieties to grow. A friend of mine asked me to grow her a few plants for her balcony as she lives in an apartment block (converted mill). I've only grown cayenne and black pearl which has eye catching dark leaves.
ReplyDeleteIt depends what she wants them for - as culinary ingredients or as ornaments. I think the "Black Prince" I grw this year looks fantastic, but I don't rate it as an ingredient. The "Aji Limon " is a good-looker and also very tasty though. There are just so many to choose from! "Fuego" is a nice medium-size red one; Jalapeno is good; Serrano is very prolific... etc.
DeleteVery pretty!
ReplyDeleteWhat's next ginger?
ReplyDeleteI have a coffee grinder too. It has never seen coffee. I use it for grinding spices like you but also for grinding flours like brown rice and quinoa. Your chili powder looks pretty. I wish I could eat that stuff. I made refried beans today and it really could use some.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant, I like this way of preserving them. I wonder if it would work in a little food processor. Only one way to find out I guess. And I wouldn't mind slightly larger pieces in there. I might try it with my very prolific yellow chillies.
ReplyDeleteThat seems a much more bountiful result than the paprika! Mind you, at least now you know how much you require to make a decent amount of powder.
ReplyDeleteIs it a particular type of coffee grinder you use (for fine grinding for example) or just a more general one?
Rozzie, I use a general-purpose coffee-grinder. It is a Braun one - a very simple device that just has two revolving blades. It works pretty well. Jane uses it for making her famous curry powder.
DeleteI did chili flakes this year - especially good mixed with salt flakes and added to soup. After reading your posts I think next year I will attempt chilli powder. That looks fab and I have enough mild chillies that I could use it pretty liberally to add colour as well as flavour.
ReplyDeleteLiz, if you like soups, why not try chilli sherry? Steep some chillis in a small bottle of sherry for a few days, and then at the appropriate moment sprinkle a few drops of the pungent stuff onto your soup. It keeps for ages too.
DeleteBrilliant...you'll be having your own label next!
ReplyDeleteWhoops have I let the cat out of the bag? ^..^
Mark, you've inspired me yet again! It never occurred to me to make fresh chilli powder or paprika - I only got as far as using home-grown chills fresh from the plant! Duh! I'm now going to be thinking where I can fit some extra plants in on my balcony for next summer! Btw, I bet you have some interesting cups of coffee from that grinder - chilli coffee, anyone? ! Cx
ReplyDeleteCaro, we have TWO coffee-grinders! One for coffee, one for spices, but the idea of chilli coffee sounds as if it might be worth a try! :-)
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