Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Our "superchili" thai-style chili peppers are beginning to ripen. I have in mind to fill a small shaker bottle with peppers and cover with vinegar, to pickle the peppers and infuse the vinegar with heat as a shake-on condiment. I've seen similar at little stands in Mexico.

The "pickled pepper" recipes I've researched deal wih canning and preserving processes, and the "infused vinegar" recipes start with a small quantity of dried peppers that are later fitered out. How do I do what I'm trying to do? If possible I was looking for something I could feed-and-bleed with new peppers and vinegar as time went on...

Pete
Whenever I infuse vinegar with herbs, I first crush a handful and heat them in the vinegar,( this step is called steeping, as in tea) then I strain the vinegar into a jar (usually a wine bottle), add fresh herbs (you wold place fresh chilli in the jar)and more vinegar and put a cork in it for a week or two....the vinegar then has the flavor of the herb. I have done it with garlic as well as fresh herbs, and I would think it would work beautifully with chilli
ilene

Pete,

You can just cover the peppers with vinegar and put them in the fridge. That works fine.

If you want the vinegar to be hotter faster, then slice them in half lengthwise. This will also make mold/decay a lot less likely. For an extra kick, add some peeled and halved garlic cloves.

You can keep adding vinegar as you use it. Note that the hotness will fade over time (doesn't it always?). Watch for signs of mold or fermentation, though.