Turkish Pepper Paste Biber şalçası

A fundamental part of southern Turkish cooking. How to make sundried pepper paste at home.

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Category: Essentials & For The Pantry
Seasons Summer
Cuisine Type Turkish

Ingredients

For Sweet Pepper Paste

10 Kg large sweet red peppers 'Salçalık or Kapya biberi'
50 Grams small pickle salt 'İri tuzu' (3 Tablespoons)
45 Milliliter Olive or sunflower oil (3 Tablespoons)
Olive oil for sealing

For Mixed Pepper Paste

7 Kgs Large sweet red peppers 'Salçalık or Kapya biberi'
3 Kgs Hot red peppers 'Salçalık or Kapya biberi'

Turkish Pepper Paste Biber şalçası Directions

  1. Thoroughly wash the peppers and remove any that have holes or have gone bad.
  2. For all of the peppers, cut off the top, remove the large core of seeds and cut into two or three pieces.
  3. Bring a large saucepan of water to a gentle boil and in batches add the peppers, gently cooking for around 10 to 15 minutes, at this point they should be softened but not cooked completely.
  4. Remove from the water and place into a large tray or bucket to rest.
  5. Once all the pepper pieces have been softened use a blender, food processors or mill to puree them. Some seeds may have remained but it's not a problem.
  6. Place a heavy colander above a large saucepan and sieve the blended pepper puree through. You can use your hands to encourage the straining, discard any seeds or skins that remain.
  7. Place on the hob and bring to the boil for 8 minutes. 
  8. Alternatively, at this point should you wish you can cook the paste. Simply bring to the boil and then simmering for 30 minutes. (This will reduce the sun drying time but I choose to do mine completely in the sun as the traditional method.)
  9. Stir in the salt and place the pepper puree into trays, ideally using several trays to make sure that the level is shallow and that all trays have similar levels to ensure they evaporate at similar times.
  10. Place in a sunny location and cover with clean mosquito nets, curtains or cheesecloth. These can be tucked under or pegged. Ideally, this will be done on days with consistent temputatuıres and lower humidity for around four days.
  11. Several times a day the pepper paste will need stirring, the help remix the water to pulp content.
  12. On the third or fourth day when the paste has become thicker and a small amount of water remains the trays can be combined and 3 tablespoons of oil mixed in. (This oil is optional but makes for a smoother, tastier paste)
  13. After the final day when the puree is thick and no water remains fill sterilized jars up to the neck and top with olive oil and seal until required.
  14. Keeps in the fridge for at least one year.
  15. Once open as you use the pepper paste, gently scrape down from the side of the jars, flatten and re-top with olive oil as required. This layer of olive oil will prevent the paste from moulding.

Recipe notes

Keeps in the fridge for at least one year.

Once open as you use the pepper paste, gently scrape down from the side of the jars, flatten and re-top with olive oil as required. This layer of olive oil will prevent the paste from moulding.

If you have a food mill you don't have to soften the peppers at all they just go straight in, and if you live in a village or neighbourhood full of salça makers you may find they'll come round and do all your milling for you but otherwise they need to be cooked down a little to help them blend which results in a better yield too.

Gloves are pretty important too, more so if you make you pepper salça hot, but I made the mistake my first year of thinking it wouldn't be necessary for sweet peppers, trust me when I say the odd hot one will likely worm its way in and that your fingers will end up stained no matter how sweet you like your paste!

Gloves are pretty important too, more so if you make you pepper salça hot, but I made the mistake my first year of thinking it wouldn't be necessary for sweet peppers, trust me when I say the odd hot one will likely worm its way in and that your fingers will end up stained no matter how sweet you like your paste!

Reviews 3.8/5

CK
04 Sep 2021

Hi Harbinder. You'll want a really good blender/mill and a strong sieve - A Turkish suzgeç is perfe...
Full Review

Harbinder
04 Sep 2021

I will certainly give this recipe a go. Only problem I have faced with these chillies is that whi...
Full Review

Kate
19 Aug 2021

I've been buying salca from the store and will now have a go at it at home.

Nuzhat Chaudhry
21 Feb 2021

What is the traditional way? Can you please share with us. Thanks

Nuzhat
04 Sep 2020

our local turkish restuarant serves red pepper sauce with food. My family loves it but we always get...
Full Review

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