Help! Chilli advice needed!

[BeeRose30]

I'm making some chilli jam tomorrow for the first time. The recipe I'm using requires 10 red chillis, but when I dashed round the supermarket for the ingredients this evening there were no ordinary red chillis to be found, and in a moment of madness tiredness I grabbed several packets of bird eye chillis. WTF was I thinking?!

I'm now lying awake worrying about how to substitute ordinary, tingly red chillis for bum-blasting bird eyes. Should I just add half the number in the recipe and hope for the best? Can anyone tell me if this is a sensible substitution? This jam will be gracing the table at the family boxing day lunch, so it needs to not be horrifically hot!

[Linus33]

I think even half might be too much? How much jam are you making? Take the seeds out whatever the number.

[BeeRose30]

Thanks for replying Linus, I think the recipe makes about 4 jars. You're probably right, half would be too much. I'd rather have it slightly on the mild side than inedible. Maybe 2 without seeds...

[sashh]

Take the seeds out - are they dried? cut the end of and shake - if not deseed with a knife - most of the heat is in the seeds with birds eye chillis.

[Linus33]

Yes, two (or even one...) feels about right. Good luck with it. It sounds lovely by the way!

[Skippedthelightfandango]

Do use gloves!

I am of the other camp actually, and I struggled to make my chilli jam even remotely hot and ended up putting loads of chilli flakes in so I might be inclined to put in at least half maybe more. I would deseed though.

[DoreenLethal]

I've used hotter chillis than that for my chilli jam [inc nagas]. Just add in a load of red peppers, make twice the batch - if you don't like it too hot.

Or - when you put it into the jars, strain it through a sieve first and once the jars are all done, put the contents of the sieve into it's own jar and use those for adding to sauces/chillis/curries etc.

[BeeRose30]

Thanks everyone so much for replying! I've used bird eye chillis in various other things, but never in a preserve, so all your advice is much appreciated. I'm going to put 2 in, no seeds and I really like Doreen's idea of straining it. That would make a lovely fiery concentrated paste for later use. I've got some vinyl gloves somewhere, so will search them out now!