I once again am searching for ways to preserve the chilli crop. My  Bangalore Bullet is 1.5 metres tall and covered with red chillis, and to add to that problem there are just as many green chillis that will soon be red. This morning I am up making another batch of Chilli Jam. I thought about drying some but I don’t really need any yet, so I decided to have a go at Sambal Oleok. I needed something that would keep so, unlike the traditional version where the chillis are simply mixed with salt and vinegar, ground in a mortar, and served  I am cooking then freezing the chilli mix in ice cube trays.

I have saved some of these seeds so if it doesn’t over Winter I will be able to start again in Spring, however I am also going to do what I can to help it survive.

Exif Jpeg Picture

Sambal oelek – ready to be frozen

 

SAMBAL OELEK – COOKED

Ingedients (pretty rough quantities)

  • Chillis – I used 150g, some roughly deseesed if the chillis are super hot
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tbs vinegar – apple cider, rice wine or white
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 stem lemon grass, bashed and chopped
  • 1tbs lemon juice
Process the chillis

Process the chillis

Method

  1. Place all ingredients in a microwave safe glass bowl, cover and cook until tender.
  2. Blitz in a food processor, add more liquid if necessary. Spray ice cube tray with oil and Put about a soup spoon into each tray.
  3. When frozen scoop out into individual plastic bags – my mixture didn’t really freeze hard so each bag is a serve.
  4. Next time I will just freeze on a tray or maybe just flatten into a zip lock bag and break off what I need as I use it.