Chilli Pickles

Chilli Pickles

After about two weeks on a 'Subway diet", I decided to make our own chilli pickles for the sandwiches.

It was easy.I first washed 5 Jalapeno peppers and about 10 green chilies and tossed them dry in a colander. I then covered the colander to prevent flies from hovering over them.

Next I boiled about a liter of water and added 1 cup of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar. I let the solution cool before pouring it into 2 separate glass jars. Pickles should be made in glass or ceramic containers and not plastic ones as the latter may react with the acidic vinegar and later leach out into the container. This is bad for health.

After the pickle solution has cooled down, I added sliced green chillies in 1 jar and the whole jalapeno peppers in the other.

The pickles are ready to be eaten after 3 days in the fridge. With our regular sandwich breakfast and dinner nowadays, my self- made pickles last for 2 weeks.

It is not advisable to keep the pickles outside the fridge and it may ferment and turn bad. The pickles I made were less sweet than the local ones sold in the supermarkets.

Next I will try to pickle garlic, onions and maybe lime. Pickles will be great pick me up during the fasting month.

I may also try my Mum's pickle recipe which include precooked spices. This type of pickle is not only popular during the Muslim fasting month but is also served at Malay weddings. It is more complicated and requires a lot more expensive ingredients.