Chilli flakes or crushed chilli peppers, are a type of spice or condiment that is made by crushing dried chilli peppers. They taste hot and peppery and are usually crimson in colour. When making your own dried chilli flakes at home, you have the freedom to experiment with various types of chilli peppers, mixing and matching different varieties like red chillies, jalapeños, and Thai chillies. This allows you to create unique blends that you might not find in store-bought options.
Making homemade chilli flakes is a terrific way to preserve their fiery flavour for use in dishes all year. Making this spice at home gives you a flavour that is so bright and store-bought alternatives are not as good, and is much easier to make at home than you think.
How To Make Chilli Flakes Using An Oven?
Ingredients and Equipment
- 280 gm fresh chilli peppers (such as red chillies, jalapeños, or Thai chillies)
- Baking sheet or tray
- Parchment paper (optional)
- Oven
Instructions:
- Turn the oven's temperature down to its lowest setting, which is often between 175-200°F (80–95°C). Because the chilli peppers need to dry without burning, it's crucial to utilise a low temperature.
- Dry the chilli peppers completely after washing. After trimming off any stems, cut them with a sharp knife into thin circles. If you would rather have bigger flakes, you can also leave them whole.
- If you want to make cleanup easier, you can also line a baking sheet or pan with parchment paper.
- Sliced chilli peppers should be arranged on the baking sheet in a single layer. Be certain that they are not overlapping and are distributed equally.
- The chilli peppers should gradually dry out on the baking sheet in the oven once it has been prepared. Depending on your local humidity level and the thickness of your slices, the drying procedure might take four to eight hours. Make sure they are not burning by giving them a routine check.
- Then take the chilli peppers out of the oven and let them come to room temperature after they are crispy and fully dried.
- The dry chilli peppers should be moved to a food processor, spice grinder, or mortar and pestle once they have cooled. For the consistency you want, crush them into flakes. It can irritate the eyes and throat, so take care not to breathe in the chilli dust.
Storage
Proper storage is crucial to preserve the freshness and flavour of dried chilli peppers, regardless of whether they are crushed or whole. The flakes lose flavour and become softer over time if they are left at room temperature because of the humidity.
They can be kept fresh for up to six months if you store them in an airtight jar or container in a cold, dry area like your pantry. To extend their shelf life, you can keep them in the refrigerator or freezer. Ascertain that the name and date are written on your container or freezer-safe bag.
Notes:
- Replace some of the seeds in the mixture, or use milder pepper kinds, if you like less heat.
- Though it takes much longer, you can air-dry some peppers in your kitchen (such as Thai peppers, tabasco, pequin, cayenne, etc.) if they have a thinner peel. To do that, you can either put the chillis in a single layer on a baking sheet or thread them onto a string, then store them in a dry, warm, and well-ventilated space.
- All you need to do to produce chilli powder is dry the peppers and then grind them in a food processor or coffee grinder.
- Open the oven door carefully and consider opening a window as hot chillis might release a "stinging" hot steam.
- If peppers don't dry out fully in the oven—that is, they bend slightly instead of breaking—you can either put them back in the oven or use them for infusion of oil.