Looking for a good chilli jam recipe

Kelsey

I recently attempted my first chilli jam, which had turned out to be delicious but more like a badjak than a jam.

I can live with that, but I'd like to achieve something a little more jelly-like and spreadable that's also a little hotter.

It also cost a small fortune to make a very small quantity with the number of chillies that went in!

Any recipes would be appreciated.

RichardM

I'm not going to give you a recipe, as I don't have one, and would have to come up with one. I will however, give you some pointers. 1) I know you're not in permanent accomodation, but grow your own chillies through summer, and freeze them. At the peak of the season you will pay around $3/kg for them, and in winter, you can pay up to $35/kg. One bush will generally supply you for the entire year. 2) To make a jam, you can't just rely on reduction to form a jelly. You will get a thick sauce, but not a jam. To make a jelly, you need some kind of thickener. In jam making, this is usually done with pectin. You can buy pectin in the supermarket as a product called "Jam Setta" (it's in a blue sachet, and usually fairly hard to find, in the same aisle as the sugar/baking goods).  You can get your own pectin in if you put enough lemon juice/zest etc, but then you're heading into sauce territory, not jam. I personally feel just sugar/water/jamsetta/chilli/salt is going to be pretty bland (and if you've seen my chilli sauce recipe, it has so many ingredients, as I love the flavours). After a little googling, I'd start with something like this as a base recipe, http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/24264/chilli+jam but just slice the chillis in half and "bruise" them rather than process them, and add jam setta and possibly a little more water and vinegar.

Brett H

Conversely, if you take the sugar to the soft ball stage jam setter (which tastes horrible in my opinion) isn't required.  This is a contentious opinion from a very dear family friend who was a CWA jam champ.  I've used this technique with fruit that's full of pectin but never with anything like chilli.  My friend has made me some birds-eye chilli jam and it is incredible but a little goes a long way... HOT!!

galumay

I made a stunning one a couple of years ago, just finishing the last of it now, the bugger is I have no idea what i put in it or how i made it thicken!!

Ronin

I found a smoked tomato and chilly jam that was delicious, but I have no idea who sells it now, let alone what's in it. The one at work which tastes fantastic on the roast duck toasted sandwich is made on site. I don't know all the ingredients but had red chilly, red onion, red peppers (capsicum), garlic and caramelised quite dark with some herbs then blitzed. Smells devine but I can't help any more than that.

UNM

on 1371981543:

I made a stunning one a couple of years ago, just finishing the last of it now, the bugger is I have no idea what i put in it or how i made it thicken!!

Just enjoy it for what it is and be glad of the experience. After all, it could just as easily have been a failure and you would not have had the  pleasure at all. "All these moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain." As someone once said. I shall second RMs advice to Kelsey - grow a chili plant or two

Kelsey

I've had some good success with my experiments lately. Increasing the number of birdseye chillies helps and balancing it out with cheaper jalepenos and capsicum. I've also switched to using jamsetta and a bit less sugar. Next up, I'm considering adding in some port and sage into the mix. When we move to a house, I will absolutely be planting my own chillies, in volume!!