8 Unexpected Ways to Use Chile Paste

Are you looking to add some serious kick to your usual recipes? Some uses of chile pastes are obvious like spicing up soups, stews or grilled meats. Beside red hot chile, the paste can include additional ingredients such as fermented soy beans, salt, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, sage, onion, or even sugar. These ingredients add an extra punch of flavor to the dishes the chili paste is used in. It can take time for you to get used to the hot taste, but it’s normal. Anyone can enjoy the fruitful flavor of red hot chili pepper after a bit of patient practice.

If you have half a can of chile paste restin gin your fridge, here are a few unexpected ways to put it to good use!

Here’s what you can do with a pot of chili paste:

• 1. Rub chile pastes onto any kind of fish, poultry, or meat before any cooking method — just be creative!
• 2. Mix a spoonful of any kind of chili paste with cooked vegetables, pasta, or grains. You can add a little butter or oil.
• 3. Serve chili paste alone in place of a dipping sauce (be careful not to burn your mouth), or add one volume chili paste to 4 volumes ketchup or mayonnaise to make a delicious spicy dipping sauce or spread.
• 4. Mix with a little extra virgin olive or neutral oil, like sunflower or corn, then brush on fish, lean meat, meat, vegetables as they come off the grill.
• 5. Stir a little into nut pastes like Nutella or peanut butter for a spicy spread for your next toasted bread.
• 6. Stir chile paste directly into yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese or mayonnaise for a quick chilled sauce. It’s perfect for dipping raw carrots, cauliflower florets, or celery sticks as appetizers.
• 7. Spread a little of chili paste on sandwiches — try this on grilled cheese!
• 8. If you want to turn hot chile paste into a real sauce: heat a batch with 1/4 cup of oil, butter, cream, stock, tomato sauce, or even water, then use it in your recipe.

Quick recipe for your homemade red hot chili pepper paste:

You’ll need:

• 8 to 10 habanero peppers
• 2 cube stock
• 5 garlic cloves
• Half a smal onion
• Half a small tomato
• Salt
• Ground pepper
• Sugar (optional)
• Basil (optional)
• Sunflower oil

Mix chili peppers, de-germed garlic, onion, tomato, basil in a blender or food processor (better if the container is made of glass instead of plastic). Then put the mixture to heat in a dedicated saucepan (old saucepan that you’ll use only for this task). Be careful when breathing above the mixture, it hurts! Add the cube stock, salt, pepper, sugar. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer in a glass jar, add oil to and mix to create an emulsion. To more you add oil, to more liquid the paste. Keep in your refrigerator for several weeks. Wash your hands thoroughly.

You can add any kind of spice like curry, cumin, cinnamon or cardamom… The possibilities are endless!

( Photo : MarxFoods )