Let the Sun work - Red Pepper Flakes & Dried Limes
>> Saturday, 10 July 2010
It has been so hot these days - but while I retreat indoors with the fans working overtime, I've been letting the sun do some work! Drying hot peppers to make pepper flakes and experimenting by drying limes! Read this week's column to learn more about red pepper flakes and how to go about making your own.
I dried three types of peppers to make 3 sets of pepper flakes, each with varying degrees of heat.
As you know, my love for food is universal. A couple of years ago, I had my first taste of Persian food and fell in love - again. One of the dishes I had was Qormeh Sabzi - an stew of herbs, lamb and kidney beans flavoured with dried limes (more about this in future column). That was my first experience tasting and eating dried limes... and it was heavenly.
Knowing that I would be experimenting with cooking Persian food, I bought a packet of dried limes while on my travels, but that soon ran out. I decided that I'd try drying my own limes. The experiment was successful but I found that it took way too long for the limes to dry - almost 3 months (sun-drying). At the end of the 3 months, I ended up with only half of the number of limes I originally set out to dry. Some of the limes started to rot during the drying process and were discarded. I think I'll buy at least 2 packets the next time so that I'll have enough to last me for a while. Once dried, the limes can last for up to 2 years! I read somewhere that the limes are boiled first then set to dry but I put mine to dry soon after picking.
Tis the season for making pickles, let them cook in the sun too!
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36 comments:
Oh goodness, what an array of fiery goodness. Those dried Scotch Bonnets must be Hell-fire!
the dried chiles are fantastic but you really piqued my curiosity with the dried limes - great post.
Marvelous! I am a big fan of chillies and limes.
Cheers,
Rosa
I learn so much when I read your blog. I've never heard of dried limes. Interesting!
wowww hot hot hot!
Yhx Cynthia,I have never thought of doing this, o much easier to buy. I like the whole process of drying and grinding though!
PS. Did you see that I made your potato rosti's a couple of posts ago.....sublime!!
Wowo cynthia you dried them home. I love all of them but i think i would love to get my hands on that dried scotch bonnets as i have hear they are one of the spicier variety.
Lovely! I love dried chillies! Limes are new to me, thanks for sharing!
It took 2 months for the limes to dry??? Wow!!! that's a long time, for sure. Love the dried red chillies.
Dried chillies are a must-have condiment in my pantry. Never saw any dried lime...
Dried limes? That's something new.
There is so much good food here! I love that you dried your own chiles. I'm so incredibly impressed.
Cynthia,
You are amazing. I've been around the block a few times (gustatorily speaking, of course) and I've NEVER thought of drying my own peppers. Plus those pictures should be hanging in a museum.
And dried limes? Who would have thunk it? Why can't you dry them in the same low oven you suggest for the peppers if they rot too fast?
oh girl i cannot wait to see what you come up with dried limes. curry dish? thai dish? ice cream!! LOL
stay cool...we;ve had some very humid weather there and i hate it, my skin loves it thou
After the last few times of trying to make pepper flakes in the food processor, I'm back to simply buying the things because of the pepper-dust that comes out when opening the processor & when transferring to the bag.
Perhaps it's not so bad using the rolling pin? Could be, since there wouldn't be a blade in there.
Next time we have a garden, or some whole chilies, we'll give it a try. :)
Oh, when I was a kid, the across-the-street neighbors even dried their own fruit. They really let the sun work; they had a box made out of frames and screen door screen, and just set it outside and let it go.
I'm too impatient for that, and since it seems everything in the garden ripened in August, there might not be enough time... but I'd like to try this.
My interest is piqued at the idea of dried limes!!
Quite lovely. I have not attempted to dry peppers just yet, but this is good motivation.
Beautiful pictures and a pretty those peppers.
How do you make everything look amazing? Wow. Those seeds look lovely. I reserved the seeds of some of my Mexican chiles when I made mole a long time ago. I'll be sure to do that with other seeds. Lovely post.
those pepper photos are lovely!
and I never thought of drying peppers myself...hmmm...
your pictures scream HOT! hahah
awesome pictures as always!
What a spicy and heated galore..of...CHILI!
Look at all of those beautiful pepper flakes!
I love peppers :) and some of them in this pic look exotic !
OMG!! the pepper flakes must be HOT!! Specially the Scotch bonnet ones! ummmm !
the pictures are amazing!
Oooh what a lot of lovely chillies!
I have to try this! Great idea Cynthia. I think I must use chile flakes daily, I should make my own. But not the habanero!
LL
Nice to know abt different types of pepper flakes.... Very attractive pictures....
Great post. Drying in the sun is a method used to preserve vegetables here in Greece as well and my mother used to preserve a lot of vegetables this way. Never tried it myself though but if ever I have a garden to produce vegetables, I will definitely try preserving my own.
woo what a superb snaps..good job..
All those fiery clicks are tempting me to try sundrying.Its so hot out here that I feel I will get roasted alive if I venture out :)...
awesome.........
Thanks for sharing these variaties & the dried versions too!
I grow my own home grown red chilli peppers!! I love them & they are so easy to grow as wel !!!
I also love limes a lot!
Scotch Bonnet flakes, woah! You are a brave woman :P
I love your chillies, such fabulous photos and great colours.
Cynthia I have never had dried lime! The dried scotch bonnets are a treasure, I suppose. beautiful pictures of the flakes.
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