Hot Chilli & Lemon Paste

Total Time: 54 mins Preparation Time: 50 mins Cook Time: 4 mins

Ingredients

• 500 g hot red chili peppers
• 3 lemons (preferably thin skinned lemons)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cm fresh ginger
• vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Recipe

• 1 wash chillies and remove stalks (note: use rubber gloves).
• 2 cut chillies in half lengthways.
• 3 wash and cut lemons into quarters.
• 4 crush garlic and finely chop ginger.
• 5 put all above ingredients into food processor and blend in batches until paste consistency is as desired, adding small amounts of oil if dry.
• 6 in a heavy based pan cover bottom with oil and heat to medium high, when a small amount of paste is dropped into the oil it should sizzle.
• 7 (note: only cook chilli in well ventilated area as fumes are strong).
• 8 add paste to hot oil, add salt and stir constantly.
• 9 as soon as paste turns from red to orange (about 3 - 4 mins) remove from heat, stir and allow to cool.
• 10 once cool put into sterilised jars and top with oil so that there is a thin layer of oil on top of paste and refrigerate.
• 11 in cool weather this can be stored in a cupboard.