I’m now the proud owner of Christine Manfield‘s cookbook Stir. The first recipe, chilli jam, is a fiery condiment with amazing complexity and depth of flavour not to be confused with the type of chilli jam you might eat with chocolate cake!
Christine Manfield’s Chilli Jam is sold here in Australia and may be available online. If looking for an alternative make sure to compare the ingredients.
To make your own, blend 1.5 kg (3 lbs) large red chillies, 300 g (9½ oz) birds-eye chillies, 8 large brown onions, 5 cloves of garlic and 1 litre (32 fl oz) of oil in a food processor until it becomes a fine paste. Cook in a wide, heavy-based pan on low heat for up to 12 hours, stirring occasionally, until dark red. Add 300 ml (10 fl oz) of tamarind liquid and 125 g (4 0z) of shaved palm sugar and continue to cook slowly for 2 hours more. Spoon into sterilised glass jars and cover with some extra oil.
Chilli jam is great to cook with too. Try this prawn stir-fry with onions green beans and tomatoes. Pre-cook the beans for 5 minute and then fry all the ingredients together. When the prawns are nearly done add a generous tablespoon of chilli jam and season with a little salt, sugar and white pepper.
Or a pork hot-pot. Marinate thinly sliced pork, green beans, fresh mushrooms, soaked dried shitake mushrooms and sliced red pepper in 2 tablespoons of chilli jam. Put the mixture and ½ a cup of stock or water into a ceramic pot or tagine. Cover and cook on the stove-top over low heat. When the pork and vegetables are almost cooked add some pre-soaked mung bean noodles to soak up the liquid.
michelle picker cooks 