Re: [gardeners] How'z this sound, George?

Shirley,George (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sat, 04 Nov 2000 07:29:30 -0600 

Sounds dangerous according to the USDA guidelines. They strongly recommend
against putting anything up in oil at home. If you made only enough to use when
you cook a certain dish and there's none left then it would be okay. Strong
chance for botulism involved in putting stuff up in oil at home. Most homes
don't have the high temperature equipment to do it safely. The vinegar he adds
to it really doesn't raise the acidity enough to protect you and storing it the
way he does is also considered unsafe.

I know, I know, people have been doing things that way for centuries but it is
no longer a recommended practice by either the US Department of Agriculture or
the Master Food Preservers group. I think we Muricans no longer have the
protective bugs in our guts that keep us from dying from eating tainted food.

Boiled down, sounds like a nice recipe if used same day made but trouble if you
try to store it.

George

penny x stamm wrote:
> 
> A. CHILLI PASTE. (I call mine "Hellfire")
> You can use Sambal Oelek but this is fun to do and a lot hotter.
> 
> 1. Mix two tablespoons of hot chilli powder (not Mex style) with just
> enough water to make a stiff paste. Cover and set aside for an hour
> at least to let flavours develop.
> 2. Put on rubber or plastic gloves...if you don't you'll regret it.
> Chilli
> juices burn the skin.
> 3. Gather 500 gm or so fresh chillies, a mix is best ideally Habaneras
> should be part of it and some should be green if possible.
> 4. Remove the tops of the chillies and place them into a pot containing
> a cup of cooking oil. I use peanut. Peel a piece of fresh  ginger about
> 2" long, if you can get it. Add peel to oil and put chillies and ginger
> in a
> food processor. Peel two medium onions, chop roughly and add to
> blender, any surplus onion bits such as tops and bottoms should be
> chopped and added to the oil. Add four garlic cloves to the processor.
> 5. Bring the oil with its contents to a gentle boil, as soon as it does
> so
> turn off the heat and leave to infuse.
> 6. Add a good dash of white vinegar to the contents of the food
> processor, add the chilli powder paste, and blend the lot finely. The
> vinegar stops the end result going mouldy and helps with the
> blending.  Remove and set aside.
> Rinse the processor bowl thoroughly in hot  water then leave it in
> hot detergent water for at least an hour. Probably best to give it
> another  good rinse after this.
> 7. Once the oil is cool enough add sufficient to a fry pan to fry the
> paste, too much is better than too little. Strain the rest of the oil
> into a  clean jar and label ASAP.
> 8. Heat the oil in the pan and carefully stir in your paste, fry over a
> medium heat stirring constantly, do not leave it as burning chilli
> smoke is hell on the lungs...I know! A dash of sugar may be added
> to offset the vinegar. After a time you'll see the oil starting to come
> through the paste, this is a good sign. Reduce heat and keep
> stirring so the paste does not stick to the pan, keep cooking until
> all moisture seems to have evaporated off.
> 9.  Remove pan from stove and spoon mixture into clean jars, it
> should be oily, don't worry about that.
> 10. After a couple of days surplus oil will rise to the surface, decant
> this off into your chilli oil jar. If necessary put the contents of the
> jars in a sieve and let the oil run into a small jug. Refrigerate after
> opening a jar.
> 
> You have created two fearsome things both of which are invaluable
> in the kitchen.
> 
> In subsequent mailings I'll give you recipes involving this monster
> but, for starters, if you want a side dish for a curry try frying
> desiccated coconut in some of that chilli oil then stirring in some
> of the paste and add a dash of fish sauce. Fry well and enjoy.
> (Indonesian dish called Sambal kelapa).
> 
> B. SPICED OIL.
> Place 2 cups of peanut or other oil in a pan and add 4 sticks
> cinnamon, 8-10 cardamom pods, 6 cloves of garlic, 2" of ginger,
> 12 cloves, and 12 curry leaves if you can get them. (3 Bay leaves
> if you can't) Just as with the chilli oil bring to boil and infuse, when
> cool enough carefully remove the spices and place them in a
> suitable jar or bottle. add the oil, seal, and set aside. As the oil
> level drops through use add more peanut oil, the spices will
> maintain the flavour for quite some time.
> 
> Use as the oil when making curries, also good with other spicy dishes.
> 
> (Tom Mc Rae)
> 
> ________________________________________________________________
> YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
> Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
> Try it today - there's no risk!  For your FREE software, visit:
> http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.