There’s always that one stand at the Farmers market that intimidates me. This time it was the chili stand. I love fresh chilies , especially when they are long and thin so I can snip them with my teeth. But here, it was a pick ‘n’ mix of shapes hitting different parts of the spice barometer. They were stunners, yet I felt like doing the runner.

The vendor reassured me that I would in fact live if I ate one. I grabbed them and decided to cure them in salt and fennel seeds. This mellows them out and live a lot longer. The salt also makes the juices seep out and mingle with the spices creating a whole new range of flavors.

Once the peppers have softened a bit, I finish them with hot mustard oil to sizzle them up. Mustard oil has a distinct aroma and is an oil that can stand up to heat and the spices. It adds oomph when drizzled over pastas and soups.

As for making these cured and marinated chilies; it couldn’t be easier. They are simply sliced and coated with salt and spices. A few hour later, it meets it match with sizzling mustard oil and then put to bed somewhere cozy for 2 days.

I love to serve these chilies as a condiment alongside a roast or even a cheese board, but my personal favorite is to smoosh it between 2 slices of bread.

Recipe For Salt Cured-Chilies In Mustard Oil

Ingredients

3 cups mixed chilies (sliced if large)
½ tsp. fenugreek seed
½ tsp. fennel seeds
½ tsp. mustard seeds
½ tp. Caraway seeds
2 teaspoons turmeric
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup mustard oil
3 lemons, juice only

Method

1) Roast all the spices on low-medium heat until an aroma emerges. Grind the spices in a coffee/ spice grinder
2)Sprinkle all over the chilies and set aside for 6-8 hours
3) Coat the chilies in to the lemon juice. Heat the mustard oil until you smell it. Pour it over the chilies and allow to sit in a warm place for 2 days