There are some ingredients that we need in large quantities.
Bakers flour is a good example, as is Basmati rice, which we buy in 12.5kg and 5kg bags respectively. Chocolate is yet another, although that’s probably idiosyncratic to our kitchen (we always have at least 10kg on the go at any given time).
On the other hand, we go through tiny quantities of spices – even sweet paprika, which we use in many of our dishes, is doled out in tablespoons rather than cups. Chilli powder and flakes are used in even smaller measures, often just a pinch at a time. Last week, I thought I’d have a go at making my own.
In our garden, is an old, pathetic-looking cayenne chilli bush. At least that’s what we believe we planted a couple of years ago. It’s quite stunted, and the fruit are wrinkled and gnarled, but it’s a consistent producer, and we’ve been picking a handful of ripe chillies every week from it…
The chillies themselves are delicious – thin skinned with just the right amount of heat…
I gathered up all the dried cayennes from the bottom of our ceramic colander and cut off the stems…
I initially tried blitzing them up in my mini food processor, but found that they were too lightweight to grind properly. This did however separate most of the seeds from the flesh, and I was able to discard them before the next step.
I tipped the mostly deseeded flesh into my old spice grinder (a cheap coffee grinder that I’ve had for decades) and whizzed them into flakes. The colour and aroma were glorious – it made me realise how stale bought chilli powders can be.
The entire batch of chillis produced a tiny quantity of flakes – about three tablespoons in total…
I stirred a teaspoonful into a small jar of olive oil. After just a few hours, it had already taken on a rosy hue…
Cayenne chillies seem ideally suited to this process – unlike thicker skinned fruits, they dry well without going mouldy and retain their red colour once dried.
I’m really chuffed with how well this worked, and so pleased that we now have homegrown homemade chilli flakes and oil to use in our cooking!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Good one. Will recommend the process to friends who manage to grow chillis here (Canada)
Joanne, we don’t have equal success with all chillies – the cayennes seem particularly well suited to the process though! The bishops crowns we grow are too fleshy, and seem to rot rather than dry!
We have chillies that look exactly like yours – they are also wrinkled and gnarled so reckon they must also be cayenne.
I will definitely be making some flakes too.
Have a happy day Celia.
:-) Mandy xo
Mandy, I hope they’re cayennes! :) This was really easy to make – the chillies seem to dry themselves, which is great!
Looks really good and I love the pics
Thanks Norma! You can never have too much red, right? :D
That’s cool that you made your own. If I see a cayenne chili pepper plant at the nursery this spring I’m definitely going to grab one. Good thing is that it doesn’t take much pepper flakes to spice something up if its fresh, so your 3 Tbsp or so should go a ways. The oil is very pretty! You need a thin, fancy bottle to keep your prize oil in.
Mel, the oil has gone an even deeper red since. I’m going to start dipping dumplings in it soon, I think! :)
Lovely. The oil has a very pretty colour. I usually break them up by hand first. Then grind them up. I think most of the heat comes from the seeds. I must start wearing gloves for this, as I have some hot chili peppers! Everything I touch seems to have heat afterwards! Washing my hands doesn’t seem to be enough!
Manuela, I found the two stage blitzing process meant I didn’t have to use my hands – I always end up touching my eyes whenever I handle chillies! :)
I am excited by your chilli flakes as well :). I love that you used some to flavour some oil. Let us know how it turns out. Sometimes the simplest of things can make your heart sing. I just wish that we could get chillis to grow well here. I might start them off earlier in the glasshouse next season. Cheers for the lovely recipes :)
The chilli oil is already delicious, I’m using some in dinner tonight! :)
I love chilli oil. It’s quite pricy but if you can make it yourself that’s a huge bonus :)
Hi Celia, it is great when you can make your own, whatever it be.
Glenda, it’s always a thrill! :)
Very, very good. I might start growing some chillies and if I do, I’m doing this. I currently buy huge bags of dried chillies.
Wow that’s a lot Nick, I never get through that many! :)
I chuck them whole in chillies and curries etc… Still, a whole bag lasts months…
Be careful not to touch your nose or eyes! Looks delicious though. Cook on! Maz
Easier now I have the chillies in flake form – I can use a spoon! :)
We have more chilis than we know what to do with at the moment so I’ll definitely give this a g. Might have to use my blender?
Claire, what sort are you growing? These are the first ones we’ve ever managed to dry successfully – all the others in the past have gone mouldy on us!
I leave my chillies to dry out and then chop them when I need them. The problem is that the dried bits go all over the place. This looks like a far more controlled way of dealing with them – and much easier to store the flakes in a jar than the whole chillies that I hang on string. Another top tip Celia :)
Anne, mine are drying on a string now – I think I’ll use up these flakes, and then turn the dried ones into more. For some reason, I think they’ll stay fresher that way (no idea why). :)
Ah, I see you do have so many chillies, Celia! Would have loved to share some of the mulatos with you. Peter has been at me to infuse some oil, now I’ve seen yours I’ll give it a go. Thanks love.
Liz, are your chillies hot? I always find bigger ones to be milder…
How do you dry the peppers?
Misky, this lot were just tossed into a colander and left on the bench, but I’ve now started stringing them up to let them air a bit more as they’re drying.
I think our humidity is too high for that; they’d mould. Maybe the airing cupboard would work better.
Misky, Sydney is really humid as well. These are the only chillies we’ve ever dried successfully, all the others have gone mouldy. I think the secret is to buy/grow really thin skinned ones.
I’ll remember that!
Great idea Celia! I just smash mine up into big chunks, yours are so much more delicate and elegant :) I really like the ideas of discarding the seeds too, they often don’t soften up enough in cooking- perfect solution. I don’t know what type of chillis I have growing, just whatever pops up I guess xox
Becca, I don’t have huge success drying other types of chillies – in the past, they’ve all just gone mouldy on me! The cayennes seem to dry themselves though!
The oil looks great- must try this. I like things hot so I leave my seeds in, although I have read that the heat is in the membrane, not the seeds, but when fresh, the membrane is attached to the seeds. I guess it is the same for the dried product. I agree, cayenne dries really well. Our chilli season is quite late this year, but will continue until the first frost.
Francesca, I think this and the bishops crowns will be the only ones we grow from now on – one for drying, and one for eating fresh!
I know- one can have too many chillies and in the end, what can you do with them all! After threading up, drying, and kasundi making, chill jam… its chilli overload.
Homemade Tabasco sauce! Vinegar, chillies, garlic, sugar and salt. And much better than the bought versions!
i love being able to grab my jar of homegrown and processed chilli flakes too celia..i have two types on the go at the moment..one quite a lot hotter than the other..i’ve taken to adding a pinch of chilli flakes to a lot of dishes that i wouldn’t have once..it’s not necessarily discernible but it adds an extra dimension..can’t remember the last time i had to buy any..same with oregano and thyme..x
Jane, do you ever add it to hot chocolate like in that scene from Chocolat? :)
I can’t wait to try this. Hopefully my pepper crop will do well. I just planted.
Fingers crossed for your peppers, Greg! Do you smoke them as well?
Just come in watering my at the moment ‘vegetable’ garden [mostly herbs] and I seem to have a similarly looking ‘lost’ chilli bush myself – not enough in number to make a big deal, but chilli oil is such a good idea :) !
Eha, it was dead easy to do!
Excellent Celia. My chilli bush is groaning with chillies and I was thinking I should do something with them. This is first on the list. I made my own dried ginger powder this week and it was so much stronger than the stuff I normally buy. You are right that spices are stale by the time they get to us. So much better to make your own.
Tania, do you have a dehydrator? I wonder if the chillies would dry more efficiently in one, rather than just hanging up for weeks. Powdered ginger – you rock, girl. :)
wow, this looks amazing and for a chilli loving family, absolutely something that I need to try creating at home.
Leah, hope it works well for you! :)
Thank you, I’ll let you know how I go :-)
Your bowls are so pretty. I love how you made your own chilli flakes – such a good idea when you have an abundant harvest of chillies because like you say, it’s an ingredient that has to be used in moderation xx
Charlie, you really do need to make a trek to Crows Nest and spend a whole lot of money in Moya’s shop! Here’s the link. :)
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2013/12/06/turkuaz-motif-2/
I much prefer making my own as well Celia :)
Tandy, this is the first time I’ve tried! :)
I’ve always tried to make homemade chilli flakes in the past but my chillies always go mouldy instead of drying up. You’ve inspired me to try again :)
Lisa, I’ve always had the same problem – the cayennes (if that’s what they are) are the first chillies I’ve managed to dry successfully! I think that if you don’t have a dehydrator, then thin-skinned chillies work best! How goes the pregnancy? :)
thanks Celia, I don’t have a dehydrator but have been spying one and Mothers Day is coming up. I’ll have to drop some hints around ;)
With regards to the pregnancy, it’s been a long 19 weeks, and it looks like the sickness is here to say unfortunately. Combine that with a few health hiccups, genetic counselling, and anxiousness, I’m just hoping and praying the second half of my pregnancy will be boring and uneventful…
Funny you’re sharing this Celia because I was looking at my own dried chilli on my kitchen window sill. I’d forgotten I’d put a bunch in a sealable bag there & found that they had dried up. I’ve made a lovely chilli flake bunch out of them. But our chilli tree filled with abundance this year round & I’ve found that if I leave the larger green ones to redden on the vine they go hotter.I throw them in my mini processor with a touch of oil & make a paste, jar it & spread it when we make kebabs rolls, falafel rolls etc. thanks for sharing.
Lina, chilli paste is a fabulous idea! x
Impressive stuff Celia!
Thanks Kari! :)
That explains why the chilli flakes I bought aren’t great – they must be stale. I will try a chilli plant here in the UK and if there are any spare I will see if your method works. Your oil looks fabulous :)
I hope you can find some cayennes – we’ve found thicker skinned chillies tend to go mouldy. The oil is an even deeper red now! :)
The colour of that oil is just gorgeous, my parents often give us chilli from their garden and we never use it in time. Will do this next time, great idea!
Stefanie, the other thing you can do with chillies is stash them in the freezer – I saw Jamie Oliver do that recently, and then he just grates them from frozen.
Freezing and grating is a great idea! We were at my parents for dinner and mum was reminding me how she use to pound fresh chillies in a mortar and pestle then keep it in a jar in the fridge. As long as a dry spoon was used each time it would last for ages.
What a brilliant idea. I must admit that when John saved some hot chillies last year he put them in the spare cabinet off the laundry room. When he finally remembered they were there, he opened the bag and they were full of pantry moths. Who would have guessed that?
If he’d made chilli flakes he’d be ahead of the game. :)
Pantry moths in chillies! I’ve had fruit fly in them, but not weevils! I tend to lose bags of chillies in the freezer all the time – I’ve started putting the YEAR on them so I know how old they are! :)
We do this too as I usually grow a lot of different chillis. I find that the home made stuff is always much hotter than the commercial hot chilli flakes (which is a good thing in my book)!
Chica, I’m so impressed you can do this with other sorts of chillies, I’ve never managed with anything other than the cayennes.
Celia Mum and I aren’t very good with chilli in large doses while Tony loves it. I’m thinking maybe that chilli oil might be the way to go.
Rose, I’m sitting here on Sunday morning with a hot chocolate with chilli flakes in it. I guess I’m with Tony on this one.. :)
I’m a sucker for chilli pots.
I have a variety of.them in my garden and they’re easy to grow. Chillies and succulents. That’s my idea of a low maintenance garden.
I like your idea of making the flakes and spicing up oil with them. Yum, Celia.
I adore succulents too, although they’ve been a bit ignored lately…
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2013/05/26/winter-succulents/
You know, Celia. You’ve got me making harissa now and hardly 3 days go by that I don’t make some sourdough bread. Last night, I used your pizza dough recipe as a basis for my own. I made quince jelly and jam because yours looked so appealing. If I start making my own chili flakes, I might as well re-title my blog as the Fig Jam and Lime Cordial Blog, Chicago Chapter. :)
Darling man, the feeling is mutual. You’ve had me on a quest for guanciale, taught us the best short ribs recipe ever, and inspired me to try my first ever plate of Italian trippa the other night (at a restaurant, I didn’t make it, but it was divine). xx
Thanks for these 2 tasty chili uses. I have searched for many chili recipes like these 2 but never found one that soothes me like this one! I will use this for my own home grown chillies in Summertime! xx
You always have the most clever ideas but who would have thought to use a coffee grinder! Great idea and although chillis scare me, I do think they’re very pretty.
[…] The chillis in the garden are finally turning red. On one side I have a few dried ones, ready to make Celia’s chilli oil which you can find here. […]