Thaths ([info]thaths) wrote,
@ 2008-08-01 10:57:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:chili, garden, looking for, recipe

Looking for recipies that use green chillies
I have 3 Thai chili plants in the garden. I grew them myself from an overripe chili pod that I planted whole in the soil. The three remaining are the hardiest seedlings that emerged from the pod.

This year, after I moved them to bigger pots they have been especially prolific in producing fruits (yes! Technically, chillies are fruits). I only cook at home about once a week. And I use maybe 6-10 chili peppers a week. The output from my garden is 5 times my consumption. What do I do with the extra chili peppers? I often share my garden produce with neighbors and friends. But even with sharing, I have more than I can use.

I am looking for recipes that use chili peppers in large quantities. Should I be drying them for storage and use during the winter? Should I pickle them into achar (if so, do you have a good recipe?)?


(Post a new comment)

in curd!
[info]mmk
2008-08-01 09:47 pm UTC (link)
For the love of the gods:

http://indianfood.about.com/od/picklesandpreserves/r/curdchilly.htm

or some variant thereof. I swear, I've know folks (admittedly in Ithaca, willing to pay $$$ to get them, I shipped a bunch).

If you want to be more traditional, I think I remember them being sundried...

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: in curd!
[info]thaths
2008-08-03 02:45 pm UTC (link)
Heh! I brought some of these with me a couple of years ago from Madras. Use them very rarely. Also, the recipe is for red chillies. Mine are the green variety.

Sundried on the other hand...

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
Re: in curd!
[info]mmk
2008-08-03 04:04 pm UTC (link)
Might be duh question: Aren't red chillies green ones that have ripened?

Eg: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Thai_peppers.jpg/180px-Thai_peppers.jpg

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
Re: in curd!
[info]thaths
2008-08-03 07:54 pm UTC (link)
In the case of Thai chilies, the red ones are ripened green ones. In Thai cuisine the chilies can be used ripened (red) or unripened (green).

In Indian cooking, the green chilies are a different breed from the red ones. In South Indian cooking, you either use green ones or dried red ones. I am not aware of a dish which uses the undried red ones. Maybe I should experiment with these.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]yellowpigs
2008-08-02 04:44 am UTC (link)
A few years ago we grew a lot of peppers and dried a bunch of them. Drying was easy, and they rehydrated well.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]thaths
2008-08-03 02:46 pm UTC (link)
Looks like drying is going to be the way to go with these.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]bluesmoon
2008-08-02 05:08 am UTC (link)
technically vegetable is a culinary term and not a botanical term. among things used as vegetables include fruit, roots, seeds, leaves, stalk and flowers.

I use food.yahoo.com (most people don't know this exists) for recipes, but haven't looked it up for Indian stuff. You might find Thai recipes though.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]thaths
2008-08-03 02:48 pm UTC (link)
Re: Thai recipes... I have an excellent book of recipes that I bought from Asia books in Bangkok. I can use up some of the chillies and make green curry paste. Still, I have more chillies than I can use. So, preserving somehow is the need.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]deponti
2008-08-02 03:23 pm UTC (link)
Cut up about 20 chilis (I hope they are the hot variety) into small pieces (with seeds.) Soak about tamarind about the size of an American lemon (or if you are using Tamcon or something, 4 tablespoons are to be used in about 3/4 std cup of water.)

In a hot pan, roast fenugreek seeds (menthiyam) until dark brown, keep aside


Add a drop of oil add asafoetida (perungAyam) broken into small pieces, fry, and powder with the fenugreek and keep aside.

Add 4 tbsp oil, let mustard seeds (kadugu) (1tsp) sputter, add chopped chilies, a little turmeric, and add the tamarind pulp, and salt to taste.

Let the water reduce...add a little more if it dries up too soon. It should come to a kind of gooey consistency.

Add the powdered hing/methi (ha, I have suddenly come to Hindi).

If the chilies are too fiery, you may need extra tamarind.

If you have only perungAya powder, add that after the kadugu sputters and then add the chilies, and add the menthiya podi at the end.

FanTAStic for curd rice, idli-dosai, etc. Will keep for about a week in the fridge..but ought to get finished long before that!

Slurp, this is one of my favourites, enjoy paNNu pA!

It's called...for some strange reason...puLi moLagAi. ;)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]thaths
2008-08-03 02:49 pm UTC (link)
Mmm. This sounds like an excellent hybrid between puli kacchal and menthiyam maanga. Thanks for the recipe. I will try it out next week.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]deponti
2008-08-02 03:26 pm UTC (link)

How lovely that you have such green fingers. (though your hands must be looking quite a sight like that....and if your fingers are green how can you put them on verybrightred?...)

drying the chilies is a good option, you can use them later in cooking.

(Reply to this)

How about a chutney?
[info]murthys_r_us
2008-08-02 07:46 pm UTC (link)
I don't know if you are a chutney fan, but I had the opportunity to taste a North Karnataka chutney variety years ago that I believe was produced thusly: a handful of green chillies - a dozen medium large ones; a clove of garlic, peeled; and a medium large sized crystal of rock salt; all ground together with no extra water added. It won't dent your surplus much, esp. since a little goes a long way, but it's one more thing you can try. It goes great with the dried bhakri they make, that is bhakri roasted dry on the fire, but chapati or roti otherwise would do just as well.

Of course, vary chili, salt and garlic to taste :)

Have you tried salting and drying them for deep frying later? You'll need a lot of Sun for that, though.

V.

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: How about a chutney?
[info]thaths
2008-08-03 02:50 pm UTC (link)
A lot of sun is not a problem in Nor Cal this time of year. I will try out that chutney soon. I'll probably have to sub chapati instead of bhakri. I am not a fan of dried bhakri.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]karmakurma
2008-08-03 03:21 am UTC (link)
Try pickling them in some vinegar. You want to slit the chillies, add a few peppercorns, galangal slices, lemongrass slices and then dunk them in a small bottle of vinegar and seal for a few weeks. They are delicious with some noodles or soup.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]thaths
2008-08-03 02:50 pm UTC (link)
Thanks for the most excellent recipe.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(Anonymous)
2008-08-04 05:12 am UTC (link)
Is it the same pickle in which the chilly stays crisp for a long time?

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]zeeshanmn
2008-08-04 08:45 am UTC (link)
I was about to give you a pickle recipe with mustard, but this one is easy and good. You can also add some whole cloves of garlic in to the vinegar.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]udhay
2008-08-05 09:41 am UTC (link)
Put them in vodka. If you have trouble finishing the vodka, put it in your suitcase before heading to Bangalore. ;-)

(Reply to this)


[info]shradha
2008-09-23 06:51 pm UTC (link)
umm...all the recipes above sound super yummy!

if u still need to find use for all ur chillies, I would suggest you grind them in a mixie and freeze the chilli paste in an airtight box till you need it. shouldn't spoil for months. :)

btw, just saw ur garden pics (from last year!) on flickr! dude...way to go!!! :D is there a nursery u'd recommend? we are looking to plant some veggies/fruits too and any advice would be more than welcome. also, did u get help from a gardener or made do with the www?

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]thaths
2008-09-23 07:21 pm UTC (link)
Ground chillie, eh? Good idea. I already use a similar method for freezing and storing basil (Thai and Italian), cilantro and lemongrass - I use a food processor to chop them into tiny pieces, then add a teeny amount of water to it, pour the mixture into an ice tray and freeze them. I then take the icecubes out and store them in freezer bags.

As for gardening advice... I know a little about kitchen gardens (i.e., fruits and veggies) that I figured out through trial and error and some reading. I am not very good with ornamental stuff. Here are some of my thoughts:


  • First identify the place in your yard that gets the most sunlight during the day. How much you can produce from your garden is almost directly proportional to the amount of sunlight you get.
  • Get plastic planters like the Earthboxes you find at the Google garden. They are cheaper at OSH and Home depot.
  • Get a wetness measurement tool. It is something you stick into the ground and it tells you how wet the soil is. You will find this at OSH as well.
  • Summer crops (Tomatoes, Basil, Lettuce, Beans, Peas, Beets, Carrots, Eggplant, Bell peppers, Chilli peppers, etc.) you generally begin by planting in small seeding pots indoors in Spring. As they grow and night temperature outside moves over 50, you can transplant the seedlings outdoors.
  • Winter crops (Peas, Beets, Carrots, Cauliflower, Cabbage, etc.) you generally plant directly outdoors in late summer / early Fall (right around now).
  • Buy a couple of bags of compost and a couple of bags of planting mix. Mix them about half-and-half. Fill the planter (see above) to its brim. Either transplant the seedlings or sow seeds directly on to this.
  • Water once in 3-4 days in the beginning (water only if your moisture meter shows the soil to be dry). As plants start growing and start stretching their roots, water every 2 days. Water daily when there is a heat wave.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]shradha
2008-09-26 02:56 am UTC (link)
WOW! Thanks a ton for all the super useful advice Thaths!

I didn't know about Earthboxes but they sound great!! Hope I have some great photos to share by next year ;)

Many thanks again!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

Create an Account
Forgot your login or password?
Login w/ OpenID
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…