SOURCE OF THE FLAME

HINKELHATZ

What gives chillies their heat is a chemical called capsaicin, found in the seeds and pith. The more capsaicin, the hotter the chilli. Removing the seeds and pith will remove much of the heat, but you can still glean quite a degree from the flesh. The heat is determined by the Scoville Scale recorded in Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Among the hottest is the habanero with 100,000 to 800,000 heat units, while everyday capsicum has 0-100 units. In the middle are cayenne (10,000-100,000) and jalapeno (1000-10,000).

BIG THAI

HOMEMADE SRIRACHA SAUCE

Make your own Sriracha sauce at home. It’s fun and easy and can be used as a punchy marinade for chicken wings or to enhance the flavour of Asian-style noodle soups. This method combines a short fermentation period with added vinegar to decrease the time between garden and plate.

Preparation time 30 mins plus 3 days fermenting Cooking time 10 mins Makes about 11/2 cups

450g red jalapeno

chillies, stems cut off 225g red serrano chillies,

stems cut off

4 cloves garlic, peeled 3 Tbsp light brown sugar 1 Tbsp salt

1/3 cup water

1/2 cup distilled white

vinegar

STEP 1 Chop jalapeno and serrano chillies, retaining seeds and membranes. Put in a blender with garlic, sugar, salt and water. Blend until smooth, pulsing several times to start. STEP 2 Transfer puree into a large glass container (jar or jug). Cover container with plastic wrap and place in a cool, dark place for 3-5 days, stirring once a day. The mixture will begin to bubble as it ferments. Scrape down the sides during each stirring. Re-wrap after you stir and return to storage until mixture is full of tiny bubbles.

STEP 3 Pour fermented mixture into blender with vinegar and blend until smooth. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a pan, pushing pulp through the strainer into the sauce. Discard remaining pulp, seeds and skin left in strainer. STEP 4 Place pan on heat and bring sauce to a boil, stirring often, until reduced to desired thickness, about 10 to 15 minutes. Skim foam, if desired.

THERE’S NO END TO THE SHELF LIFE OF THESE PLANTS

Turn a sunny corner into an edible garden with tomatoes, chillies, peppers, leeks, basil, thyme and parsley. Then add ornamentals such as dianthus and sweet Caroline.

STEP 5 Remove pan from heat and cool sauce to room temperature. Sauce will thicken a little when cooled. Transfer to sterilised bottles and refrigerate.