Chillie flakes

Snowie

I like these a lot i almost have them with evrything i eat some times in my tomato ketup when i have pie's... I like pies mmmm...

but any wy how does one go about making these,, would i dry them out and blend them or has any one got any ideas to how i coul go about making these ?

cheers?

Alun

You can readily buy them (any Asian store will have them) ... why would you go to the trouble of making your own?

electrogrimey

I would imagine grating the skin from chillis and drying them would be the closest you could get: the flesh below the skin is super hot and not the nicest, the actual skin is the good bit, so I assume that's what they use.

jos28

I had a bag full of chillies a while ago, and was not sure what to do with them. A very helpful Boardsie told me to put them in a brown bag in the hot press and leave them for couple of weeks. They dried out in about 10 days and them I threw them in the blender. Perfect chilli flakes. I just keep them in an airtight jar. I think it took about 20 chillies to fill a small jar.

Alun

jos28 wrote: »

I had a bag full of chillies a while ago, and was not sure what to do with them. A very helpful Boardsie told me to put them in a brown bag in the hot press and leave them for couple of weeks. They dried out in about 10 days and them I threw them in the blender. Perfect chilli flakes. I just keep them in an airtight jar. I think it took about 20 chillies to fill a small jar.

If you've got chillies hanging around you don't have any other use for, that'll work, yes, but if you haven't then there's not a lot of point really. Just go out and buy a big bag of chilli flakes from your friendly local neighbourhood Asian food emporium ... sorted.

Magic Monkey

Halve some chilies of your choice, de-seed, and dry in a low oven (100c) for a few hours, until they're dry, wrinkled and crispy. Blitz them in a food processor or pound them in a mortar and pestle.

I wanted Habanero chili flakes before but couldn't buy them, so just got fresh ones from the Asia Market and made it this way. Even try a combination of different chilies to make your own personal blend.

watna

jos28 wrote: »

I had a bag full of chillies a while ago, and was not sure what to do with them. A very helpful Boardsie told me to put them in a brown bag in the hot press and leave them for couple of weeks. They dried out in about 10 days and them I threw them in the blender. Perfect chilli flakes. I just keep them in an airtight jar. I think it took about 20 chillies to fill a small jar.

Hmm, interesting. I went chilli picking a few months ago and the freezer is full of them. I got bags an bags of them for about $10. Chilli flakes would work out well - I need the space in the freezer and my OH loves chillis. No hot presses/radiators in NZ though - as mentioned above, oven could be a good idea. Might try it out.

lucylu

http://www.schwartz.co.uk/productdetail.cfm?ID=5136

namurt

Excuse my ignorance but are chilli flakes the same as crushed chillies?

The Sweeper

Yeah, chili flakes are basically crushed chilis.

Usually, the chilis are dried whole, and the flakes you buy in the shops will often include the seeds in their mix, because most manufacturers can't be bothered removing them tbh.

If I grow chilis, I dry them by getting a needle and thread, and stringing them into long strings through their stems (not through the chili itself). Then tie the string up somewhere warm to dry. Watna, you don't have an airing cupboard but pick a dry spot in the house that gets sunshine - they'll dry in a couple of weeks.

Then pull the dried chilis off the string - they'll come away from the shrivelled remains of the stem very easily. Then crush - I use a mortar and pestle because I don't want much dust - and place in a sealed jar.

The seeds of a chili are not actually what contains the heat, as is often claimed - it's the pale membrane that HOLDS the seeds inside the chili that's the secret source of rocketfuel. Hence when people remove the seeds they usually use the blunt side of a knife, or a teaspoon, and also scrape away that membrane.

When you're drying chilis whole, that membrane remains inside the drying chili, so chili flakes will often be extremely hot - use in moderation!

Minder

I found that blitzing dried chilli in a blender produces a good chilli flake, but also a lot of chilli dust that catches the back of the throat - even weeks after its made, each time I open the jar there is a breathtaking effect. A pestle & mortar will produce less dust, or use a food processor with a pulse switch. I dry them on a food tray on some kitchen paper in a warm room.