Be The Jam

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There’s no shame in admitting it: I’m addicted to chilli! And my circle of friends is becoming addicted to my chilli sauces … What follows is the third iteration of my ever-changing - and slightly seasonal - recipe and is runnier than the previous two. Also, thanks to the strawberries, it’s more suited to “sweet” rather than “savoury” uses – though you might be surprised at its versatility. I haven’t yet tried it with cheese but I can vouch that it makes a heavenly partner for good vanilla (or chocolate) ice cream. It’s also handy for adding a kick to everything from stir-fries to salad dressings – and it goes remarkably well with a simple omelette.

Most of the fruit came from Tahmid stores on the Cowley Road, except for the strawberries and rhubarb, which came from Melton Manor Farm – it’s just a quick bike ride across the edge of Port Meadow for me! You can get kuzu and the apple balsamic vinegar from Uhuru Healthfoods on the Cowley Road; vitamin C powder can be obtained from Holland & Barrett (though they hide it under the counter for some reason).

The sauce usually keeps pretty well but you might want to store it in the fridge. And don’t forget to wear gloves when chopping the chillies!

 ~ 1 large bunch of mint (washed)

 ~ 7 large limes

 ~ 3 small mangoes

 ~ 1 large papaya

 ~ 40 Scotch Bonnet chillies

 ~ 40 small red Thai chillies

 ~ 600g root ginger

 ~ 700g English rhubarb

 ~ 600g English strawberries

 ~ 200ml Reyka vodka

 ~ 6 tsp vitamin C powder

 ~ 150ml Thorncroft elderflower cordial

 ~ 2 tsp Maldon sea salt

 ~ 4 tsp kuzu

 ~ 250ml apple balsamic vinegar

Roughly shred the mint leaves and steep overnight in the vodka. Strain the liquid – and discard the leaves – before using.

Trim and roughly chop the chillies, keeping the seeds. Place in a large saucepan (or stockpot) and add the balsamic vinegar and an equal volume of water. Bring to a gentle simmer, turn down the heat as low as possible and cover. Zest the limes and add this to the pan, along with their juice. Peel and grate the ginger, chop the rhubarb and bung all this in.

After about 15 minutes, add the elderflower cordial and salt and continue cooking uncovered. Peel and dice the papaya and mango and add to the pan, along with the quartered strawberries. Turn up the heat and let the sauce bubble gloopily, stirring all the while. Mix the finely ground kuzu with some liquid from the pan and stir this in; also add the vitamin C at this stage. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to cool. Once cool, blend in batches and then refrigerate overnight.

The next day, heat thoroughly, then remove from the heat and add the mint-flavoured vodka. Stir well and bottle whilst hot.