Habanero Jelly is one of my all time favourite relishes; its hot, fruity sweetness cuts perfectly again creamy, crumbly cheese and crackers as well as livening up cold meats. Chilli Jelly makes a great, unusual gift as a little will go a long way. You only need a few pods to make a good sized batch of Jelly.
The Jelly can be tailored to your particular tastes. If you want your jelly hotter, tie the seeds & pith into a piece of muslin and drop into the boiling mixture, remove when you pour the jelly. If you like it milder, obviously just restrict how many chillies go in. The grated carrots and pepper might seem a little left-field, but they add a lovely colour and substance to the jelly.
Alternative Chillies;
Orange Habaneros are my chilli of choice for this recipe but you can use anything you like really. Personally I would pick a fruity-flavoured variety to give the jelly some taste, so pretty much any kind of Chinense from Scotch Bonnet, Paper Lantern or Chocolate Habanero to Wraiths, Bhut Jolokia or Carolina Reaper.
Do be careful how much you’re adding of the superhots, remembering that you can always add more but you cannot take it out. Of the milder varieties, Aji Lemon or Madre Viega make a great Jelly choice. Frozen chillies work as well as fresh for this recipe.
Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Additional Time (for cooling etc): 4 hrs
Total Time: 4 hrs 50 mins
Yield: 8 x 1lb jars or 16 x half pound jars
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Ingredients
8 x 1lb jam jars or 16 x 1/2 lb jars with lids
400ml cider vinegar
1250g granulated sugar
100g grated carrot
50g grated red sweet pepper
15 x habanero chillies, seeded and minced (see alternatives too)
2 x 24g sachet liquid pectin
Orange habaneros; one for great culinary chillies of the world.
Orange habaneros are one of my all time classic culinary chillies. The combination of heat, fruity chilli flavour and striking colour make them perfect for a whole range hot Mexican dish (makes for a super chilli con carne, together with jalapeno) or for salsas and sauces like habanero jelly.
Clockwise from top left; sugar, cider vinegar, sweet peppers, habanero chillies, carrots, pectin.
The ingredients for Habanero jelly are easy to source and inexpensive. It takes only a matter of half an hour or so to prep all the ingredients and little more than an hour to have the whole lot cooked and ready for the jars
handling habaneros is best done carefully. Gloves are a good idea as these chillies can burn through the skin.
Remove the seeds from the habaneros using a sharp knife. It's best to wear gloves when doing this as it will stop your fingers burning. Chilli can also remain on your hands for a while afterwards, so wearing gloves will also reduce the risk of getting chilli in your eyes or on other sensitive body parts.
The molten, sweet chilli pepper needs 10 mins on the boil to bring the flavours together.
Stir the vinegar and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved, then stir in the carrot and red bell pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes. Add the habanero peppers and simmer 5 minutes longer. Pour in the pectin, and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Skim and discard any foam from the jelly.
Carefully ladle the hot jam into pre-sterilised jam jars.
Check the jelly is ready to set by popping a small plate into the freezer until cool. Put one teaspoon of the jelly mixture onto the plate until it has cooled. You will be able to see how set the jelly will be when cooled. If it does not look set, boil for a little longer and check again until it is setting.
I like to reuse different size jam jars that I have collected over the year.
Sterilise the jars and lids in boiling water or a hot oven for at least 5 minutes. Pour the jelly into the hot, sterilised jars, filling the jars to 1cm from the top. You'll need a ladle for this job.
The Devil's Candy. What an incredible colour!
Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue and screw on lids. Store in a cool, dark place until ready to use. The distinctive colour and amazing flavour makes habanero jelly a perfect gift and even a small jar goes a long way.
Habanero jelly goes well with cold meats and hard cheeses like Manchego. Perfect for Boxing day.
Habanero jelly can be eaten with a wide range of foods.Hard cheeses and meats are ideal, but even soft cheeses like feta also work. The combination of the sweetness, chill heat, distinctive flavour and colour can enliven even the simplest of meals.
World of Chillies was set up by Sarah Hunt in 2011 to promote chilli growing and the enjoyment of everything hot and spicy.
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You can use almost any type of fruity chilli for this recipe, such as;
- Scotch Bonnet
- Paper Lantern
- Chocolate Habanero
- Wraiths
- Bhut Jolokia
- Carolina Reaper
- Aji Lemon
- Madre Viega