Ají Limo or the Lemon Drop pepper is native to Peru. In fact, the name “Limo” pays homage to the city of Lima, where the pepper is said to have originated. How hot is Ají Limo? It is a fairly hot little thing, measuring at anything from 40 000 – 60 000 Scoville units with a […]
Sichuan Peppercorns
Despite the name, Sichuan peppercorns are not peppercorns and therefore, not related to our common black peppercorns at all! Sichuan peppercorns are the highly aromatic husks of the prickly ash berries which are dried and sold and they look like miniature flowers.  Their claim to fame is their mouth numbing characteristic; you get a […]
White Ghost Pepper
Also known as White Bhut Jolokia, measuring a whopping 800 000 – 1 million on the Scoville Scale, the White Ghost Pepper is one hot baby! That’s over 100 times hotter than a jalapeño! This summer (2015) was the first time I grew it and it proved to be a very happy grower, producing freely, going through […]
How to make Harissa, a North African Chilli Paste
Harissa is a North African chilli paste, earthy and smoky in flavour. At its very basic, it has chillies, garlic, salt, olive oil and lemon juice and very frequently, also cumin, coriander and caraway seeds. Every North African family will have its own recipe, that is if they bother making it at all, because here in […]
Sambal Ijo (Easy Indonesian Green Chilli Paste)
Today’s recipe, Sambal Ijo, is one of my favourite South East Asian condiments, for its flavour, its colour and its heat! All these years of growing different chillies every summer and I’ve never got around to blogging about them – fancy that! See below for the odd chilli pepper article. We change it up a little every […]
Chilli con Carne (that famous TexMex Beef Recipe)
Is there much to say about Chilli con Carne that’s new? Chilli con Carne Legend Everyone knows Chilli con Carne – the ubiquitous Tex Mex food, with beans, without beans, with meat (carne), without meat, the latter also known as chilli sin carne. Its origin is shrouded in mystery but one thing we do know […]
