So the other day I was staring at my sad lunch sandwich thinking it needed some life. Remembered seeing chili jam in some cooking videos and figured, why not whip some up myself? Grabbed my grocery list and hit the market.
First thing first: ingredient hunt. Tossed red bell peppers, bird’s eye chilies, and regular chili flakes into my cart – yeah, wanted that layered heat. Found some ugly ginger roots on sale and grabbed an apple for sweetness. Last stop was the brown sugar and vinegar aisle.
Got home and spread everything on the counter. The chopping madness began:
- Deseeded the peppers (learned the hard way to wear gloves after touching my eye later)
- Minced two inches of ginger till my fingers smelled spicy
- Sliced onions so thin they made me cry
- Tossed in garlic cloves whole cause lazy
Dumped everything except sugar into my crustiest pot. Fired up the stove to medium heat and stirred like crazy when it started bubbling. That vinegar smell hit hard – opened all the damn windows. After 20 minutes, the kitchen looked like a murder scene with red splatters everywhere.
Pulled out my ancient blender. Poured the sticky lava in slowly and covered with towel like the internet said. Still sprayed hot chili goo across my walls. Blended it chunky cause I like texture. Tried it – WHOA. Too damn spicy. Threw in more brown sugar and apple slices to balance.
Poured everything back into the pot. Time for the patience game: low simmer for 40 minutes stirring every five minutes so it wouldn’t burn. The gloopy mess finally thickened when I ran a spoon through it and the trail held.
Turned off the heat. Jar cleaning became crucial – boiled empty glass jars like my grandma taught me. Funneled that ruby red jam while still hot, popping lids tight.
Now the magic happens: I slather this stuff on literally everything. Morning eggs? Spoonful. Grilled cheese? Absolutely. Stir fry? Hell yes. Even stirred some into mayo yesterday. It’s not just heat – the ginger kick and fruity sweetness make boring food wake up.
Biggest surprise? How damn easy it is. After that first batch, made two more jars last weekend. Just kicked my ketchup bottle to the back of the fridge. Try it once and you’ll get addicted.
