I have been making this jam for over two years now, and it is my absolute favourite. The sweet, sticky jam is contrasted with hot and spicy red chillis for a moreish condiment that goes incredibly well with cheese and in sandwiches.

If you were to ask me which recipe I would write down first in my very own cookbook, this is the one. I started making this chilli jam a couple of years ago. Lockdown had just hit, so me and my family made the most of the lovely weather and spent most of the days gardening. I am the only one who likes a bit of spice (my brother and Dad can barely handle a tikka masala), so I decided that I would grow some chillis.

The problem was that, by the end of lockdow, I had too many chillis and had no idea what to do woth any of them. While I was searching for recipes, I had the idea for chilli jam, and I’ve made about 10 batches of it now.

This is not a difficult recipe, but it does take time. The jam takes about 2 hours to get really sticky and lovely, but most of this time you can spend relaxing, as you only have to stir it every now and then. I use 6 large red chilis to make this and it comes out with quite a subtly spicy jam, which is perfect for me because I am a lightweight when it comes to spice. If you can handle it, add as many chillis as you want!

If you are even worse at handling spice than me, you can choose to leave out the seeds of the chillis, as this is where most of the spice is.

The other ingredients you need to make this jam are: red peppers, an onion, garlic, sugar, tinned tomatoes and vinegar. It really is easy and its vegan!

I have this jam with absolultely everything. I usually have it with cheese or in sandwiches, but you can literally put it in anything you fancy. It is that moreish that you will want to make it over and over again, and you definitely should.

The best thing about this recipe is that it goes far. This will make 4-5 decent jars worth of jam, which, if properly stored, can last for months (maybe even years?). This is because of it’s high sugar content.

If you are struggling for present ideas, this also makes a beautiful gifts. People really appreciate homemade presents. I have given this jam to a number of people and they have all loved it and they just love the fact that you’ve put thought into making something for them.

So here it is. My own, favourite, sweet and spicy chilii jam. I really hope you like it.

How to make chilli jam

Servings: makes 4-5 jars

Preperation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 1-2 hours

Ingredients

• 5-6 red peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 6 chillis (add more if you like a lot of spice, less if you don’t)
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 500g sugar (you may need more than this but start here and add more if required)
• 2 tins of tomatoes
• 250ml red wine vinegar (if you don’t have, use white wine vinegar)

Sweet and Spicy Chilli Jam Recipe

1. Roughly chop all of the vegetables. Add the peppers, chillis, onion and garlic to a food blender and mix until you have a finely chopped mix.
2. Add this mix to a deep casserole dish. Add the sugar, vinegar and tomatoes.
3. Put on a medium heat and cook for a couple of hours, or until the jam because sticky and gloopy. Once it goes gloopy, stir for around ten minutes and then take of the heat.
4. Pour into serilized jars and cool.

How I sterilize jars

Sterilization is an important part of any jam-making process, as it helps to ensure that the jam lasts for months or years. If you don’t sterilize your jars, it could cause mold to grow on the jam which would be so annoying. Sterilizing is simple. I was my jars in very hot water then place them on a flat baking tray. I turn an oven up to around 100 degrees C and then put the jars in the oven until they are completely dry. Let them cool while you cook the jam.

When your jam has cooled in the jars, you’ll want to cover the top with a small circle of greasproof paper. This helps to keep bacteria out.

Tips: if you don’t have a food blender, try a stick blender.

More recipes you might like: no-knead olive bread, sardine and chilli spaghetti, chicken in white wine sauce.