Chilies are a widely used in many cuisines, Asian, Mexican, Chinese and more, they come in a string of varieties with spiciness levels from sweet to extremely hot.
Red chilies, dry or fresh, are the most popular in Asia and chilly paste is a must in many dishes, especially in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Store bought chilly paste is often modified to suit the taste of the country it is sold in.
If you are in for the real thing, try this recipe and enjoy it as a marinade for your chicken dishes or easily turn it into a sambal by adding, lime juice, brown sugar, dried prawns or fermented shrimp paste
Ingredients
- 10 fresh red chilies, or 15 dried red chilies
- 2 medium sized red onions
- 4 to 5 cloves of garlic
- oil for frying
Directions
- 1Peel and cut the onions roughly
- 2Peel and crush the garlic cloves
- 3Remove the stems from the chilies and break into 2 or three pieces
- 4Fry all ingredients in some oil until lightly charred at medium heat, 4 to 5 minutes
- 5Transfer to an upright blender add about half a cup of water and blend into a paste. Add a bit more water if needed
- 6Return the paste back to the pan with a little more oil and fry on low to medium heat until the water has evaporated and you have a fairly thick paste.
The water will prevent the paste from burning - 7Allow cooling and store in a clean container, the paste will last for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator
