I am trying to grow some vegetables organically in my huge backyard. In some black planting bags I have a few chili plants. They are giving their fruit in abundance this year.
So I decided to try something new. I looked up a few recipes on Youtube, and found some that is not too difficult. That was last night at just before midnight. This morning, after swimming my 50 laps (1.25 km) I jumped in to start cooking my very own sweet chili sauce. Following this Aussie bloke’s advice- thanks mate!
So here is the recipe- I don’t have any idea how to translate it into that other ounces and pounds and yards and inches business…
You need about 250 grams of chili. 2 Cloves of Garlic. And 1 2/3 cups of white vinegar.
You blend at first about 150 grams of chilis with 1 cup of vinegar and the garlic in your blender. Then after it is blended smoothly, add the rest of the chilis.
Now get a pot on high heat on your stove. Add the blended mixture, with another 2/3 cup of vinegar, and get it to boiling point. Add 1 1/3 cup of castor sugar, boil it all together nicely while stirring, till it is reduced by about a 1/3.
Let it cool down, and pour it into some sterilized bottles. How do you sterilize bottles? You take it to the vet, and they will spay it…
It is really a great feeling doing this for the very first time, and to know that the fruit comes out of your own garden, and is organically produced without any insecticides used…
That doesn’t seem like much sweet chili sauce, but hey, one small step for man…
There is just one small niggling thought in the back of my mind, and if Jamie Oliver, or Nigella Lawson, or Marco Pierre White happens to pass by, please help with this question- exactly which brand of peppers/ chilis should be used in sweet chili sauce? Sweet bell peppers? (That is why I am not asking Gordon Ramsey- he might be 6 weeks older than me, but he will call me an idiot in the kitchen…)
Because I only have jalapeno’s at the moment… and my sweet chili sauce is burning like hell. I am going to market this sauce, let all my church members have a spoonful before church on Sunday, and then deliver a sermon on the fires of hell…
The Rider 
Never am left with enough chilis to make a sauce, they all get eaten by my men – and the dog, and the cockatoos š
You gave me a good chuckle with your last comment. Great. You have now inspired me to have a go at this recipe. Not sure if I have enough chili’s as I only planted them earlier this year and are just starting to fruit.
We are about to start harvesting this years Apricots to make jam.
Thanks for sharing.
Sjoe, weet nie of ek hier sal saam eet nie, maar ja, dit lyk aantreklik en eetbaar. Geniet.
Ha ha ha :-D!! Kan net dink hoe die gemeente dit sal geniet!
Dan preek ek van die lewende water wat die vuur blus… š
I’ll try this next summer – we usually have 50 or so sweet pepper plants š
I am having a hard time this year getting sweet pepper seeds to grow. I bought some plants at a nursery and am nursing them, but they are just about 12 cm high so far… I will also try it with bell peppers when I finally have some. They are really expensive in the shops this year! But Spike, now that you are a Turk you should love the more spicey peppers in the sauce!
I’m a spice freak, having travelled in India a great deal. Believe me, some of our peppers could cause a nuclear meltdown!
So the sweet bell peppers are just for sissies… real men eat jalapeno’s or habaneros in their sweet chili sauce… š
… no, not really… I am not the fire and brimstone kind of pastors… I would much rather talk about grace, love, forgiveness, new life, second chances, relationship…