Chilli ketchup is the perfect way to add a bit of spice to your cooking. Whether you use it as a condiment or as an ingredient in your favourite recipes, this ketchup will give your dishes a delicious kick. So let’s get ready for some exciting chilli ketchup!
So much more than run-of-the-mill ketchup
Chlli ketchup is an exciting condiment that adds a spicy touch to almost any dish. With it, you can bring out the flavours of your favourite dishes and make them a bit different. Because this ketchup is so flavorful, it’s an easy way to give your meals a kick of heat without having to use too many extra ingredients.
This chilli condiment is very simple to make and requires only a few basic ingredients. You can customize the spices and flavours for each batch, ensuring that each dish you enjoy truly stands out.
Making chilli ketchup
Making chilli ketchup is both a tasty and straightforward endeavour. All you need is some chillis, vinegar, garlic and salt. Using disposable kitchen gloves, wash the chillis and remove their stems before slicing them into quarter-inch cubes.
Next, put the chopped chillies in a pot on medium heat with enough vinegar to cover them and add garlic and salt according to taste.
Finally, reduce the mixture until you have a preferred consistency that can be stored in an airtight jar or container.
In just a few easy steps you will have created an incredibly versatile chilli ketchup that can be used on everything from soups to sandwiches!
Tips for making this chilli and tomato condiment
Making chilli ketchup can be a challenging but rewarding part of your chilli-loving life!
- Start with your favourite kind of chilli peppers: Chilli ketchup is all about creating a spicy flavour, so using the right type of peppers is key. Try using milder peppers such as jalapenos or poblanos to get the desired balance of heat and flavour, or habaneros to focus more on the spicy heat.
- You can use either fresh or tinned tomatoes for this recipe. And you can also use garlic and ginger puree.
- Add some sweetness: To balance the spicy kick of chilli ketchup, adding a bit of sweetness can help create a delicious combination overall. Consider using some brown sugar, agave nectar or honey in your recipe for that extra hit of flavour. Stevia drops also work well. This also tempers the tomato acidity and enhances all of the flavours.
- Decide about your preferred consistency: Depending on what you plan to use the chilli ketchup for, you may need to adjust its consistency accordingly. If it’s going to be used as a dip or condiment, then making it slightly thinner in texture would be ideal; whereas if it’s intended for sandwiches or burgers, then having a thicker consistency could work better. You can leave it fairly rough and use it as a relish, or you can pass it through the fine mesh sieve a couple(or more) times to get it smooth. Thin with water/orange juice to help it flow easier from a squeeze sauce bottle.
- To ensure full flavour, use chilli ketchup within 10-14 days of opening as once opened ketchup can begin to lose its vibrancy and best quality over time.
Flavour options to personalise your ketchup
If you’re looking to add a chilli twist to your dishes, chilli ketchup is the perfect condiment. With chilli ketchup, there are many flavour options available for personalisation – ranging from subtle and mildly spicy flavours to stuff that’ll make your taste buds tingle with pleasure. Choose carefully to keep the true chilli and tomato stars front and centre.
- Mix and match chillies like habanero, chipotle, and jalapeno peppers to create a spicy chilli dance. You can play with different layers of heat and spice and could add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper or red chilli flakes too.
- Balance the heat with sweeteners such as pureed fruits, fresh or dried, e.g. raisins, apricots etc You can also consider honey or maple syrup for any additional sweetness.
- Add seasonings like cloves, all-spice, cumin, ground coriander or some lime juice for an even more unique chilli ketchup. You can also play with adding some of your favourite herbs including basil, thyme, rosemary etc
- And if you’re looking for a thick consistency, which also smooths out the heat, consider adding creamy peanut or almond butter so it’s delicious bite after bite.
- Add 0.5-1 tsp of smoked paprika for a smoky taste note.
- Replace the tomato paste/puree with the spicy Korean chilli paste Gochujang)for something just a bit special!
Suggestions about ways to use and enjoy chilli ketchup
Chilli ketchup is a condiment that is packed with flavour and can transform any dish.
- For an easy side dish, try chilli ketchup-glazed roasted vegetables – simply roast whatever vegetables are in season and drizzle chilli ketchup over them when they’re nearly finished. This adds a taste of spicy heat that complements any meal.
- If you’re looking for something more adventurous, why not incorporate this ketchup into Asian-inspired recipes when making your stir-fry or pasta sauce, or add it to the mix at the end for added heat?
- Add it to your next marinade, soup or stew.
- This chilli sauce makes a delicious addition to any sandwich or wrap – use it as a spread or simply add it on top for an instant flavour kick. And let’s not forget to enjoy it with burgers, hot dogs and fries.
- Mix with some yoghurt or cream cheese for a tasty dip for vegetables or crisps.
If you want to add some excitement to your cooking, then chilli ketchup is the way to go. It is not only easy to make, but it also brings so much more to any meal than regular ketchup offers.
Give the recipe a go and see for yourself how delicious it can be. Once you’ve tried it, you won’t want to go back to regular ketchup again!
Chilli Ketchup Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen scales
- Chopping board and knife
- Blender OR Food processor
- Preserving pan/Large saucepan
- Long-handled spoon for stirring
- Ladle
- Fine mesh sieve
- Jam Funnel
- Clean, sterilised glass jars with sealable lids
- Optional: Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 kg tomatoes (OR 4x400g cans of chopped tinned tomatoes with juices)
- 2 medium apples
- 2 medium red onions
- 2 tsp ginger, chopped
- 2 tsp garlic, chopped
- 1 stick celery
- 4 jalapeno chilli peppers
- 150 g brown sugar
- 200 ml apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 25 mg tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt (or to your taste)
- Optional: Orange juice
Instructions
- Wash the tomatoes, apples, celery and chillies and set aside to drain from excess water.
- Peel the onions, garlic, ginger and apples and rough-chop them. Top and tail the celery stick and chop too.
- Remove the tomato peel by cutting a cross in the bottom and blanching them in boiling water. Drain and peel when cool enough to handle. Rough chop the tomatoes.
- Wear a pair of disposable kitchen gloves if you are working with hot chilli peppers. Remove their stalks. Cut open the chillies and remove the seeds. Roughly chop them up.
- In batches, start to blend the fresh ingredients e.g.Put the chillies directly into the blender/food processor, with some of the rest of the chopped ingredients. Empty the blended ingredients into your preserving pan. Continue to blend the rest until all are prepared this way.
- Once all the blended fresh ingredients are in the pan, add the rest of the ingredients to this mixture.
- Stir well so that the flavours disperse throughout and ensure that the sugar dissolves completely.
- Turn the heat up to medium until starting to bubble. Let the mixture simmer for around 20min, making sure to stir from time to time to prevent scorching.The aim is for the mixture to thicken to your preferred consistency.
- If you need to, you can use an immersion blender to blend the sauce again, ahead of passing the sauce through a fine sieve. (Use any remaining solids as a relish on your sandwich, or add to pasta/stir-fry sauce or a stew).
- Once the sauce is smooth enough, return it to the pan to heat again – if the consistency is to your liking, then once heated, remove from the heat and ladle into jars. If too thick add some water/orange juice to thin it a bit, then warm it ahead of adding it to jars. If too thin after passing through the sieve, you can either let it simmer some more until thick enough or add a thickener such as arrowroot/cornflour/xanthan gum to achieve your desired consistency.
- Once in the jars and sealed, let them cool completely. Store in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.You can also freeze this ketchup in freezer-safe containers or sealable bags for up to 6 months.
Notes
Tips for making this chilli condiment
Making chilli ketchup can be a challenging but rewarding part of your chilli-loving life!- Start with your favourite kind of chilli peppers: Chilli ketchup is all about creating a spicy flavour, so using the right type of peppers is key. Try using milder peppers such as jalapenos or poblanos to get the desired balance of heat and flavour, or habaneros to focus more on the spicy heat.
- You can use either fresh or tinned tomatoes for this recipe. And you can also use garlic and ginger puree.
- Add some sweetness: To balance the spicy kick of chilli ketchup, adding a bit of sweetness can help create a delicious combination overall. Consider using some brown sugar, agave nectar or honey in your recipe for that extra hit of flavour. Stevia drops also work well. This also tempers the tomato acidity and enhances all of the flavours.
- Decide about your preferred consistency: Depending on what you plan to use the chilli ketchup for, you may need to adjust its consistency accordingly. If it’s going to be used as a dip or condiment, then making it slightly thinner in texture would be ideal; whereas if it’s intended for sandwiches or burgers, then having a thicker consistency could work better. You can leave it fairly rough and use it as a relish, or you can pass it through the fine mesh sieve a couple(or more) times to get it smooth. Thin with water/orange juice to help it flow easier from a squeeze sauce bottle.
- To ensure full flavour, use chilli ketchup within 10-14 days of opening as once opened ketchup can begin to lose its vibrancy and best quality over time.
Flavour options to personalise your ketchup
If you’re looking to add a chilli twist to your dishes, chilli ketchup is the perfect condiment. With chilli ketchup, there are many flavour options available for personalisation – ranging from subtle and mildly spicy flavours to stuff that’ll make your taste buds tingle with pleasure. Choose carefully to keep the true chilli and tomato stars front and centre.- Mix and match chillies like habanero, chipotle, and jalapeno peppers to create a spicy chilli dance. You can play with different layers of heat and spice and could add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper or red chilli flakes too.
- Balance the heat with sweeteners such as pureed fruits, fresh or dried, e.g. raisins, apricots etc You can also consider honey or maple syrup for any additional sweetness.
- Add seasonings like cloves, all-spice, cumin, ground coriander or some lime juice for an even more unique chilli ketchup. You can also play with adding some of your favourite herbs including basil, thyme, rosemary etc
- And if you’re looking for a thick consistency, which also smooths out the heat, consider adding creamy peanut or almond butter so it’s delicious bite after bite.
- Add 0.5-1 tsp of smoked paprika for a smoky taste note.
- Replace the tomato paste/puree with the spicy Korean chilli paste Gochujang)for something just a bit special!
Suggestions about ways to use and enjoy chilli ketchup
Chilli ketchup is a condiment that is packed with flavour and can transform any dish.- For an easy side dish, try chilli ketchup-glazed roasted vegetables – simply roast whatever vegetables are in season and drizzle chilli ketchup over them when they’re nearly finished. This adds a taste of spicy heat that complements any meal.
- If you’re looking for something more adventurous, why not incorporate this ketchup into Asian-inspired recipes when making your stir-fry or pasta sauce, or add it to the mix at the end for added heat?
- Add it to your next marinade, soup or stew.
- This chilli sauce makes a delicious addition to any sandwich or wrap – use it as a spread or simply add it on top for an instant flavour kick. And let’s not forget to enjoy it with burgers, hot dogs and fries.
- Mix with some yoghurt or cream cheese for a tasty dip for vegetables or crisps.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
All nutritional information is an estimate only, based on third-party calculations derived from an online nutritional calculator, Spoonacular API. The data provided is a courtesy and should not be considered a guarantee or fact. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients and brands you use, your measuring methods and portion sizes. For accurate results, we recommend that you calculate the nutritional information yourself, using a preferred nutritional calculator or advice from a nutritionist, based on your ingredients and individual processes.