10 Simple Chili Pickles

Chili Pickles Mankind has been eating chilies for over 10,000 years. Domesticated in South America, they were brought to India by the Portuguese and now appear in almost all Indian curries. A variety of chilies are pickled across India. Small Tanjore chilies, plump Andhra chilies, Long thin green / red chilies, long plump chilies, dry red chilies – all can be pickled. There are over 3000 varieties of chilies across the world, and all of them can be used in the pickles listed here. The logic is simple. Chilies are slit / chopped / crushed / blended and mixed with a variety of spice powders & salt. They are then steeped in an acid (lemon juice / vinegar / tamarind pulp / yogurt) and left in sun for a few days. The acid prevents spoilage and sunning the pickle kills microorganisms. So all these pickles last easily for months and last much longer refrigerated. Feel free to change the quantity of spice powders / salt to suit your taste. Tips: 1. Water kills pickles. Ensure chilies are wiped dry before pickling. 2. Keep bottles and spoons completely dry. 3. A tiny pinch of citric acid / sodium benzoate can be mixed with the pickle to make it long much longer. 4. Refrigerating pickles to make them last much longer.