LinsFood | by Azlin Bloor

In-Depth Recipes, Food Culture & Food Stories

MENUMENU
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Categories
      • Amuse-Bouches, Canapés and Starters
      • Cookies
      • Desserts
      • Dips, Sauces and Gravy Recipes
      • Eggless Recipes (Desserts & Baking)
      • Birthday and Occasion Cakes and Cupcakes
      • Cheese (Types and Recipes)
      • Gluten Free
      • Healthy Recipes
      • Meat Recipes
      • Noodle Recipes from around the World
      • Rice Recipes from around the World
      • Salad Recipes
      • Soups and Stews from around the World
      • Seafood
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
    • Seasonal Recipes
      • Winter Recipes
      • Spring Recipes
      • Summer Recipes
      • What's in Season Now?
      • Autumn (Fall) Recipes
    • Festive Recipes
      • Nowruz Recipes (Persian New Year)
      • Easter Recipes
      • Ramadan Recipes from around the World
      • Eid Recipes from around the World
      • Thanksgiving Recipes
      • Christmas Recipes from around the World
      • Chinese New Year Recipes
      • Valentine's Day Recipes
    • Collections
      • Alcoholic Drinks
      • Alcohol Free Drinks
      • Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
      • Cake Decorating 101
      • Fine Dining
      • Gin Recipes
      • Pantry Recipes
      • The Chilli Pepper Page
      • Top 12 Chicken Recipes
  • World Cuisines
    • American
    • British Recipes
    • Burmese Recipes
    • Chinese Recipes
    • East and West African Recipes
    • Eastern and Central European Recipes
    • French Recipes
    • South Asian Recipes (India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka)
      • Kashmiri Recipes
    • Indonesian Recipes
    • Italian Recipes
      • Risotto Masterclass
    • Japanese Recipes
    • Korean Recipes
    • Latin American Recipes
    • Middle Eastern and North African Recipes
      • Persian Recipes
      • Tagine Recipes
    • What is Singapore and Malaysian Food?
    • Spanish Recipes
    • Thai Recipes
    • Turkish Recipes
    • Vietnamese Recipes
  • Reference
    • Ingredients

      Ingredients
    • The Edible Garden

      The Edible Garden
    • What’s In Season?

      What's In Season?
    • Oven/Cooking Conversions

      Oven/Cooking Conversions
  • Media
  • Udemy Classes
  • About
    • About Me

      About Me
    • My Cookbooks

      Singapore Recipes

Pilpelchuma, a Libyan Jewish Red Chilli Paste Recipe and Video

Published 01/10/2019, updated 23/01/2021 14 Comments

Pilpelchuma (filfel chuma) recipe, a red chilli paste from the Libyan Jews of Tripoli. Spicy, garlicky and tangy, it can be used a condiment and ingredient.
Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
Filfel Chuma (Pilpelchuma), red chilli paste in small white bowl
Filfel Chuma (Pilpelchuma), red chilli paste in small white bowl
Filfel Chuma (Pilpelchuma), red chilli paste in small white bowl

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Pilpelchuma (filfel chuma) recipe, a red chilli paste in small white bowl
Pilpelchuma (filfel chuma) a Libyan Jewish Chilli Paste

Table of contents

  • Libyan Jews
  • Pilpelchuma Recipe
  • Pipelchuma is a Garlic Lover’s Paradise!
  • How to use Pilpelchuma
  • How long will Pilpelchuma Keep?
  • How hot should Pilpelchuma be?
    • Dried red chillies
    • Aleppo Pepper Flakes
  • Other Filfel Chuma Ingredients
  • Chicken Chitarnee an Indian Jewish Curry
    • More Chilli Paste Recipes on LinsFood

This is a very easy recipe, and doesn’t need any cooking apart from the couple of minutes of dry roasting the 2 whole spices, cumin and caraway seeds.

This Libyan Jewish chilli paste was introduced to the world at large when Jerusalem was published, the book by Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. And I’ve had so many questions about it ever since, so here I am, finally delivering on my promise to chat about the recipe.

The word pilpelchuma translates to pepper-garlic in Hebrew, and that basically sums up this most delicious chilli paste. It bears a strong similarity to so many chilli paste recipes we have here on LinsFood, like Chipotle Paste, Harissa and the multi purpose Red Chilli Paste. :

  • Homemade Red Chilli Paste in a glass jar, dark photo
    Homemade Red Chilli Paste
  • Chipotle Chilli Paste
    Chipotle Chilli Paste
  • Harissa Chilli Paste, dark photo. Red chilli sauce photo
    Harissa Chilli Paste

Libyan Jews

Jews in Libya? Absolutely, once upon a time.

Libyan Jews can trace their history back to around 300 BCE, when the Sahara Desert, which now covers 90% of Libya, was a lush, green expanse. Theirs was a thriving, cosmopolitan community, especially under Italian rule in modern Libya.

Sadly though, not a single Jew is to be found in the Libya of today. I’m going to explore a little Libyan Jewish history in my next post, when we’ll be cooking a traditional fish recipe from this cuisine. It’s this reader requested post, Chraime (Aharaimi) that prompted today’s spicy little number, as I always use it in that recipe.

Filfel Chuma (Pilpelchuma), red chilli paste in small white bowl
Pilpelchuma, make it as spicy or as mild as you like it

Pilpelchuma Recipe

Filfel Chuma, in its most basic form, is made with dried red chillies (or chilli powder/paprika), garlic and lemon juice. Its garlicky, spicy and tangy, as we ascertained right off the bat.

Cumin and caraway add some earthy depth and a hint of smokiness to this Libyan Chilli sauce. And there are a few more ingredients that you can add, if you like, but more of that later.

I learnt this recipe from an old colleague, Moise A. He would always bring food from home for lunch, and it was, without fail, always delicious smelling. I was, after all, a big fan of Jewish food by then, having worked in a very Jewish area for a year and a half in the 90s.

Pipelchuma is a Garlic Lover’s Paradise!

I remember one particular lunchtime, I’d gone to the gym, and got back to the office with about 5 minutes to spare, with something shop bought. I walked into a room filled with the most tantalising garlicky aroma, much to the consternation of some of our colleagues, who insisted on opening all the windows in the middle of January!

Now, being a lover of all things garlic, I just had to know what it was, and, more importantly, how to make it! Not only did I learn the recipe (and others), but I learnt all about the Libyan Jews.

I love history, in whatever form. If you’ve been following me a while, you’ll know that, as evidenced by some of my more detailed articles like the following:

  • Risotto dark picture. White risotto on dark blue plate on dark blue background
    Basic Risotto, Risotto Bianco
  • Basic Focaccia, top shot, dark photo
    Basic Focaccia

So weeks after my discovery of filfel chuma (as Moise called it), I read up as much as I could on the history of Libyan Jews. But more of that in my next post.

How to use Pilpelchuma

  • as a table condiment, it totally jazzes up an ordinary meal, whatever the cuisine
  • use it as a cooking ingredient – add it to soups and stews, think Shakshuka
  • it’s fantastic as a marinade – before roasting, barbecuing, frying, it’s great with all meat, seafood, tofu and vegetables
  • as a sandwich spread or burger sauce
  • stir it through couscous, rice and any other grains
  • great as a topping for canapés and flatbreads like Man’oushe or Focaccia
  • it makes a super dip
  • great stirred into mayo

How long will Pilpelchuma Keep?

It will keep in the fridge, covered with a layer of oil, for 2 weeks.

You can also give it a water bath to extend its shelf life. Double the amount of lemon juice to increase its acidity. Then give it a water bath to extend its shelf life to 6 months.

You can also freeze it for up to 2 months.

How hot should Pilpelchuma be?

Traditionally, this is a spicy paste. How spicy you make yours is completely up to you, and can be determined by the type and amount of chillies you use.

Dried red chillies

I’m using sichuan chillies, which are medium-hot to me, and have a lovely fruity, citrusy flavour.

Dried jalapeños, called chipotle, will be perfectly mild, if you don’t do spicy.

Aleppo Pepper Flakes

Aleppo pepper is a mild, dried chilli that is very popular in the Middle East. It’s named after the city in Syria, and the flakes are a deep red, almost burgundy colour, with a fruity, raisin-y flavour.

If you can’t get aleppo pepper flakes, non smoky, mild paprika or a mild chilli powder will work just as well. Or hot, that’s completely up to you.

To my American readers: when I say chilli powder, I’m talking about pure chilli pepper powder, not a mix of chilli pepper and other stuff.

Other Filfel Chuma Ingredients

I’m using half a tablespoon of caraway and cumin seeds each, as I don’t want their presence to be too strong. Once you’ve made this recipe, feel free to experiment with a little more of both or either.

Moise also mentioned his mum using the following sometimes:

  • preserved lemons – chop both the skin and pulp this along with all the ingredients
  • clear or white wine vinegar, instead of or along with, the lemon juice
  • fresh green chillies – also chopped with the other ingredients
  • a small amount of parsley – probably an Italian influence, but more of that in the next post

Now that we’ve got all that out of the way, shall we get our aprons on?

Oh, one last thing. Below is another very detailed post, full of history that you may be interested in. I also play food detective in this post, and along with a couple of readers, try to make an educated guess on the origin of the curry.

Chicken Chitarnee
an Indian Jewish Curry

Chicken Chitarnee, an Indian Jewish Recipe
Chicken Chitarnee, an Indian Jewish Recipe

More Chilli Paste Recipes on LinsFood

  • Sambal Ijo, green chilli sauce in glass jar, dark photo
    Sambal Ijo, Indonesian Green Chilli Condiment
  • Sambal Belacan
    Sambal Belacan (Red Chilli Condiment)
  • Zhoug, Yemeni Green Chilli Sauce
    Zhoug, Yemeni Green Chilli Sauce
Filfel Chuma (Pilpelchuma), red chilli paste in small white bowl

Pilpelchuma (Filfel Chuma), a Libyan Jewish Red Chilli Paste from Tripoli

Pilpelchuma (filfel chuma) recipe, a red chilli paste from the Libyan Jews of Tripoli. Spicy, garlicky and tangy, it can be used a condiment and ingredient.
4.95 from 20 votes
Print Pin Add to Collection Go to Collections
Course: Sauces
Cuisine: Libyan Jewish
Keyword: chilli, jewish, sauces
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Servings: 8 (makes about 150ml (1/3 cup/170g)
Calories: 91kcal
Author: Azlin Bloor

Ingredients

  • 15 non smoky dried red chillies any sort, heat level is up to you
  • 1/2 Tbsp whole caraway seeds
  • 1/2 Tbsp whole cumin seeds
  • 15 medium-sized garlic cloves
  • 1 Tbsp Aleppo pepper flakes or chilli powder or paprika, non smoky
  • 80 ml (1/3 cup) light olive oil, not extra virgin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp white sugar
  • 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • plus more olive oil any kind for covering before storage
  • You will also need a spice or coffee mill as well as a chopper to blitz everything. 
  • You could if you like, use ground cumin and ground caraway, just dry toast the powders for a minute only as per the instructions below.

Instructions

Soaking the dried chillies

  • With a pair of scissors, snip the dried chillies into 2-3 pieces, into a bowl.
  • Top the chillies with boiling water, cover with a plate, and leave to soak for 15 minutes.

Preparing the Cumin and Caraway seeds

  • Place both seeds in a small frying pan on medium-low heat and dry fry for 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat as soon as you get a toasty aroma from it, as you don’t want them to burn.
  • Tip the seeds into a coffee or spice mill and leave to cool for 2 minutes. 
  • Then grind the spices to a fine powder.

Making Pilpelchuma

  • Drain and rinse the soaked chillies, losing all the seeds at the bottom of the bowl. Add to your chopper.
  • Tip the garlic and half the olive oil in and process for about a minute. 
  • Now add everything else in and process to a fairly fine paste. Don’t worry too much about the odd stubborn chilli bit.
  • Tip the pilpelchuma into a sterilised jar, seal with a thin layer of olive oil and store in the fridge. It will last for 2 weeks easily. Keep topping it with a layer of oil each time you take some out, and it will last for 2 weeks. The oil is there to prevent bacteria from settling and your paste from getting mouldy.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 4.1g | Protein: 0.8g | Fat: 8.5g | Sodium: 148.7mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 33.7IU

This Recipe’s Carbon Emission

Did you make this recipe?Mention @azlinbloor and tag #linsfood!
Made it? Upload your photosMention @azlinbloor and tag #linsfood!

Comments

  1. Faye says

    24/08/2020 at 4:17 pm

    For the Pilpelchuma do you throw out the seeds after you soak the pepper or still use it

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      25/08/2020 at 4:40 pm

      Hi Faye, I get rid of all the seeds that have sunk to the bottom of the bowl during soaking (it’s mentioned in the recipe). Any that are still sticking to the peppers, I don’t bother getting rid of, you can just about see them in the paste pictures.

      Reply
  2. Javier Reyes says

    31/10/2019 at 10:42 am

    5 stars
    This is a great recipe. I love everything hot and I can’t wait to try this. Maybe added to the Spanish tortilla, what do you think Azlin?

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      31/10/2019 at 3:28 pm

      Thanks Javier, and yes, absolutely to the tortilla. In fact, on my list of drafts is an omelette using this chilli paste.

      Reply
  3. Connor Phillips says

    18/10/2019 at 10:14 pm

    5 stars
    Really delicious, thank you. Do you think it will go well with potatoes? Roast or salad maybe?

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      19/10/2019 at 4:52 pm

      Absolutely Connor, it’ll go with both of those. I’m planning to do a recipe for potato salad and roast potatoes with pilpelchuma. Look out for them!

      Reply
  4. Anthea Wilson says

    18/10/2019 at 9:57 pm

    5 stars
    Really nice, made it yesterday and really enjoying it. I have never used caraway seeds before, so that a good addition to my spice cupboard.

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      19/10/2019 at 4:51 pm

      I’m really pleased to hear that. Caraway seeds are funny little things. They smell of aniseed, but once cooked, they have a touch of smokiness about them.

      Reply
  5. Gabby Johnson says

    02/10/2019 at 9:53 pm

    5 stars
    I really, really enjoyed reading about this chili paste! I can’t wait to try this too, and looking forward to the fish recipe. Thanks Azlin.

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      07/10/2019 at 6:25 pm

      A pleasure, thank you Gabby. Let me know what you think.

      Reply
  6. Matt Philips says

    01/10/2019 at 1:44 pm

    5 stars
    Just saw this on instagram and you are right, I need it in my life! I’ve made a couple of your chili pepper recipes befor and really love them. Pencilled this in for the weekend. Thanks Lin!

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      07/10/2019 at 6:24 pm

      Haha, I’m glad you agree. Thanks Matt, let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  7. Lisa says

    01/10/2019 at 12:43 pm

    I love the colour of this spicy paste! I need to make it! I don’t know how I missed it in Ottolenghi’s book, but I don’t need that now since I have your recipe. 🙂

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      05/10/2019 at 10:07 am

      Haha, thanks Lisa, I’m sure you’ll love it.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Hey folks, I’m Azlin Bloor; former chef, culinary instructor and mum of 4.
Click here to read more about me!

Language

ArabicMalayFrenchSpanishHindiChinese (Simplified)ItalianRussianEnglishGerman

My Latest Posts!

  • Thai sweet basil chilli pasteThai Basil Chilli Paste (Nam Prik Horapa)
  • Doogh, Afghan and Persian Yoghurt DrinkDoogh (Afghan and Persian Yoghurt Drink, aka Ayran)
  • Beef Birria Consommé in a light blue bowlBeef Birria Recipe (Mexican Beef Stew)
  • Raspberry and Chocolate MargaritaRaspberry and Chocolate Margarita (a Valentine’s Day Cocktail)
my foodgawker gallery
Tasty Query - recipes search engine
Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs
Foodies100

Cook with me on Udemy!

Cook With Me

LinsFood contains affiliate links. This means that we earn a commission off any purchases that you might make by clicking on some of the product links.

Contact Me     Privacy Policy     Cookie Policy
Copyright Azlin Bloor | LinsFood.com 2011-2021