Armenian-Lebanese Chili Paste

[FoodMan]

It’s the end of summer! Actually we are in the Fall already, but I’ve been meaning to start this thread for a while. The wonderful bounty of summer vegetables have reached it’s end and winter is looming by. Case in point are those large red sweet peppers. In Lebanon, red bell peppers are made into a hot pepper paste. I believe this is of Armenian origin. I have nothing to support this assertion (yes I do know that Turkish cuisine has a myriad of chili pastes) other than observation. During the late summer/ early fall months you could see large trays of the fire-y chili paste drying on the roof tops, the roof tops of mostly Armenian residents. In Armenian sandwich shops it is a staple.

It is no surprise then that many non-Armenian Lebanese adopted the practice of making this including my grandmother who lives in a town in Northern Lebanon and only visits Beirut if she HAS to.

The process is fairly simple, puree the bell peppers with a good number of spicy peppers. You can make it as hot or as mild as you like. Finely mince garlic and add it to the puree. Cook the puree with olive oil until the oil floats freely on top and the mixture is a little dry. Spread the cooled pate in a large tray and let it dry in the sun. I do realize this last bit might not be as feasible in the US, so I simply cook the paste a little longer and store it in jars.

What do you use it for? Well, absolutely anything. The paste is a little sweet, hot, and has the unmistakable bell pepper taste. I love it spread on some pita by itself! I also use it to mix with all kinds of Mediterranean dips especially stuff with eggplant in it. I add a dollop on top of my lamb or chickpea stews. Spread it on pita and wrap around grilled lamb chunks or Kofta. Dip fried kibbe in a yogurt sauce mixed in with the paste. Well, you get my drift….

Click here for my recipe.

Here is the puree in start of cooking:

And here it is at the end. Notice it is reduced by more than half:

If you do give it a try you will not regret it and please do not foget to post any comments, suggestions or problems on this thread.

[arbuclo]

That looks fabulous and just my sort of thing. I hopefully will be trying this soon!

[piazzola]

Thanks few Armenians where I came from

though add vinegar and you have a mild peri peri

or

add Malaysian belancan paste and you got a magnificent sambal:)

...and here there is a nice Armenian cook site http://www.thegutsygourmet.net/armenian.html

Edited October 25, 2005 by piazzola (log)

[Adam Balic]

Cool, this is also very common thoughout the Balkans (I assumed it was Turkish in origin ), in some regions it is served with most meals. There is a variation on the recipe with eggplants as well as peppers and this is called "ajvar", which I think is a dilect word for caviar.

[FoodMan]

Cool, this is also very common thoughout the Balkans (I assumed it was Turkish in origin ), in some regions it is served with most meals. There is a variation on the recipe with eggplants as well as peppers and this is called "ajvar", which I think is a dilect word for caviar.

←

I could be wrong, and I will verify once I get back home, but I think Wolfert has a recipe for that in her awsome "Cooking of The Eastern Mediterranean".

A lovely variation, although this is more of a spread/dip rather than a condiment, is "Muhammara". Basically it also has ground up walnuts, some parsley and is flavored with pomegranate molasses. The reciep above can certainly be used a base for it.

Elie

[Adam Balic]

Elie - I have looked up some more information on this product. In Serbo-Croat is is called "ajvar ljuti od paprika, in other words "hot pepper caviar".

Tonight for dinner I tried a relish I bought in Lithuania and, yep another variation. Stupidly, I didn't get the name, but from the taste I am guessing that it has a little bit of horse raddish added, a nice variation.

[piazzola]

Yes ajvar sells in the supermarkets I, like the one that comes from Macedonia

very hot. As far a Lebanese muhamara, I think it carries onions as well as walnuts, cumin everything mixed up with the above base should be fine.

[FoodMan]

Yes ajvar sells in the supermarkets I, like the one that comes from Macedonia

very hot. As far a Lebanese muhamara,  I think it carries onions as well as walnuts, cumin everything mixed up with the above base should be fine.

←

Onions? I typically do not add that. Are they cooked then added or simply pureed with the base?

[piazzola]

simply pureed with the base

2 onions simply finely sliced

[scubadoo97]

Oh man that looks good. I grew up with muhamara only we knew it as hamara. Unlike the Lebanese recipes our family just used red bell peppers and now thanks to the food processor whip them up to a fine paste. Let drain and cook slowly with a little sugar, salt, a crushed red pepper for heat and just a touch of oil to give it a sheen. Cook it long and slow until it get's thick. Make a great dip for veggies or pita.

[anzu]

I've bought this already prepared about three times here in Berlin (from three different places, each of which also sells other foods like olives, etc. and allegedly prepares the paste themselves).

Each time, it had a nasty, underlying bitterness. What do you think could be causing it?

If that bitterness is easily avoided, I'll happily make the paste myself, but I don't want to go to the effort of making it, and then find yet again that it doesn't taste good.

[Hector]

Elie - I have looked up some more information on this product. In Serbo-Croat is is called "ajvar ljuti od paprika, in other words "hot pepper caviar".

Tonight for dinner I tried a relish I bought in Lithuania and, yep another variation. Stupidly, I didn't get the name, but from the taste I am guessing that it has a little bit of horse raddish added, a nice variation.

←

I know there are variations. But the ajvar I always have bought in balkan immigrant stores and on travels to Croatia and Slovenia is more based on eggplants and of course coloured red by peppers. Never heard anything about valnuts in ajvar. interesting.

[Adam Balic]

I imagine that the original ajvar were dominated by eggplant as the older varieties are quite seedy and when prepared they may have a passing resemblance to real caviar (there are Englsih language recipes for Eggplant dips called "Poor Man's Caviar"). Variations off this root are easy to imagine (e.g. eggplat crop fails, make "caviar" from 100% peppers).

As you can see from this Balkan supply store, even the products that contain eggplant are often pepper dominated.

Edited October 27, 2005 by Adam Balic (log)

[FoodMan]

I've bought this already prepared about three times here in Berlin (from three different places, each of which also sells other foods like olives, etc. and allegedly prepares the paste themselves).

Each time, it had a nasty, underlying bitterness. What do you think could be causing it?

If that bitterness is easily avoided, I'll happily make the paste myself, but I don't want to go to the effort of making it, and then find yet again that it doesn't taste good.

←

Don't know what that bitter taste could be, mine has none. It is more like sweet and spicy. I would guess whatever you bought might have been stores improperly or who knows what the raw ingredients were like. maybe they are lazy and ground up the seeds? Sweet peppers, hot chiles and garlic will not make for a bitter paste. Try it and see.

Elie