Binnur's Turkish Cookbook

TurkishCookbook.com - Delicious, healthy and easy-to-make Ottoman & Turkish recipes

Friday, April 14, 2006

Red Pepper Paste

(Kirmizi Biber Salcasi)

Red Pepper Paste
500 gr red peppers (any kind), discard seeds and cut in half
Extra virgin olive oil
Spicy red pepper (optional)
Salt

Boil the red peppers with water for about 15-20 minutes to soften them. Leave them in a paper bag for 10 minutes so you can peel them easily. Puree them in the blender. Pour them into a pot, add salt, and simmer until all the water evaporates. Spread on a tray and leave under the sun all day. Then put in a jar, cover with some olive oil and refrigerate. You can have Red Pepper Paste with Adana Kebab, Lahmacun, etc.

You should make this in the summer. I did it a bit earlier this year. When you leave the paste under the sun, its colour will darken and it will be a bit thicker.

Labels:


37 Comments:

At 2:05 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Binnur,

Cok, cok tesekurler!!!! Now, who needs to traverse the hot,
crowded streets of Istanbul to get to the Lahmacun stand or the Sosis vendor on the corner when we have you keeping our taste buds in sync with fine flavors of Turkish Cuisine.

At the moment, the only ingredient I'm short of is the "hot sun". I live way up north west coast/Us and the temperature outside is 6 degres C.

Thanks again for this recipe. I will be able to use it in many dishes.

Cheers,

Gulacti

 
At 10:04 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Sevgili Gulacti,
Rica ederim, you're welcome:)
I know! It's still dark and gloomy here too:( but it doesn't matter, I already used my paste to cook Kapuska. This weekend I'll also make Lahmacun again...

Cheers,
Binnur

 
At 2:31 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Binnur,

The recipe says any kind of red peppers but do you mean hot red peppers or red bell peppers? This sounds wonderful!

 
At 10:15 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Nicole,
You can use red bell peppers or long red peppers. If you like hot red
pepper sauce, add some hot red pepper too.:) We have 3 kinds of sweet,
mild and hot red pepper sauces. Do whatever suits you:)

 
At 10:45 AM, Blogger Binnur said...

Sevgili Anna,
Apartmana tasindigimdan bu yana, biber salcami gunes altinda koyulastiramiyorum. Ecuador'da harika biber salcasi yapacagina eminim:)
Sevilerimle,

 
At 2:06 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Binnur,
I found some dried red peppers from Turkey. May I use these to make the paste? Do I soak them overnight and then blend and add the salt? Thanks.

 
At 12:07 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi,
You should use fresh red pepper to make the paste and you can make dolma with the dried red peppers:)

 
At 4:56 AM, Blogger tricia33jp said...

Thanks for this recipe, now i can able to make lamacun at home. oh~ so nice...
your blog become my favorite.

 
At 9:01 AM, Blogger Valentina said...

What a lovely recipe. Can i put the peppers in the oven as opposed to boiling them - prior to pulling the skins off?Thank you.

 
At 2:46 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Valentina,
If you like, sure you can roast them in the oven:)
Take care,

 
At 10:46 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

How long will this last in the fridge?

 
At 12:57 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

I don't know, it never stays that long in my fridge:) Pour some olive oil over the top to keep it fresh.

 
At 10:35 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

ok when i was living in Turkey they did not keep this paste in the fridge , but in dark under the sink ? and last them 6 months longer? Also can you post recipe for the içli köfte I miss this much , and maybe step by step how to prepare .

 
At 10:21 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

I've already posted it.
On the site, below the google ads on the right, there's a search box. So you can search on my site if "TC" is selected, it will help you to find any recipe that I have posted.

 
At 11:30 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

hello Binnur,
The chicken tava looks lovely and i would like to make it sometime soon but I would like to know can I easily buy a ready red pepper paste in an arabic/turkish shop (i live in london)?? If I can, is it of a good quality? As I'm sure it is not as delicious as home-made by you :)

 
At 4:03 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hello,
I think you can find Turkish red pepper paste in an Arabic/Turkish shop or Mediterranean store. It may be good or bed quality:) I know it is difficult to find good one. I use "mis - biber salcasi- Gaziantep ev usulu" which is "Mis - red pepper paste - Gaziantep home style" in English. This is the best I've ever used and you are right it totally effects the taste of the dish.

 
At 10:19 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wonderful pictures & recipes, Binnur! We just got back from Turkiye, where our hotel had a thick red pepper paste for breakfast time. They told us it was store bought in the nearby larger city & it was called "acili". We couldn't find it in any of the small markets in our town. It was drier & more paste like than biber salcasi - but do you think it's the same thing? Have you ever heard of it? Thanks!

 
At 9:07 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi,
Thank you:) I think what you are asking is the good quality Antep home style hot (acili) red pepper paste. You can find it at the Turkish groceries. I buy Mis brand name. There is a on line Turkish grocery, here is the address, check it out:):
http://www.tulumba.com/storeItem.asp?ic=FB874458PP988

 
At 10:40 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Binnur,
A couple of questions, please. First, your recipie for Kirmizi Biber Salcasi calls for Spicy red pepper (optional). Can I use Cayenne or is there another spicy red pepper I should look for in a Southern Californa supermarket? Second question. When you say leave under the sun all day, do you leave it outside or just under a window??? If outside, do you cover it? Also the photo of the recipie looks very bright red and has more moisture than I would anticipate given the drying that is used. Thank you. I'm excited about trying this!
SOCALCOOK

 
At 5:33 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi,
You can use any kind of hot red pepper that you can find where you live at. I took the picture before put it under the sun because the colour was perfect for the good picture:)

 
At 9:45 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi binnur,

other sites offering their recipes for Kirmizi Biber Salcasi say it lasts about 1 week in the fridge, or can be frozen. how long does your version last in the fridge?

thanks, daniel

 
At 11:04 AM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi,
One week to 10 days:)

 
At 5:56 AM, Anonymous Maura said...

Rather than putting this out in the sun, could you put it in the oven on very low?

 
At 10:32 AM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Maura,
Yes, I could:)

 
At 9:56 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello! I'm desperately looking for some turkish recipe for a homemade tomato paste in english.Binnur do you possibly happen to have this recipe?? Greetings

 
At 9:58 AM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hallo,
There are a few different preparations to make a paste. Here is one of them:)

Wash and cut the tomatoes in four. Place them with enough sea salt in a large saucepan lid closed. Stir 2-3 times a day. Pass through a sieve on a tray after 2 days. Put the tray in the sun. Cover with a thin gauze to prevent ingress of dust on it. You need to stir often during a day, otherwise the skin forms at the surface. Leave it in the sun until tomato paste reach yogurt consistency. Then, fill the oiled jar with the lid. Pour olive oil so that it will not become moldy.

 
At 2:21 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

I am wondering as well as
someone else who commented
About this, while I lived in
I saw big container of biber
Paste stored in dark under sink
Or cabnet for very long time
Least six months,why dose the
Store bought or handmade last
Only a short time please email
Me with answer or reason if
You know,im in Texas usa thanks
Rhonda.shareif@yahoo.com

 
At 4:43 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Rhonda,

The salted red pepper puree should be left under the sun to get thicker
and darker and then covered with some liquid oil and kept in the dark and
cold.
Probably, there is no heater in the room where the cabinet is.

 
At 9:43 PM, Blogger Tony said...

Thanks for the great, simple, recipe, Binnur. Any reason why the skin couldn't be left on and tossed into the blender as well? Just curious! Thanks again, making this tonight!

 
At 10:26 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Tony,
Actually, there is no reason for that:) It is just that I like to peel after boiling or frying or roasting the peppers.
Take care,

 
At 2:44 PM, Anonymous Hallie B. said...

Thanks for the recipe! Just made this so I can make lahmacun!

 
At 9:39 AM, Blogger Asad said...

Hi Binnur,

Thanks for the recipe. When i was in dubai, i went to a turkish resturant and there i had a dish called "kebab baite" and i loved it. I always wondered what type of chili paste the cook has put in it for marination. After reading your recipe i think this should be the one. I havn't made it yet but i will soon and will soon let you know if it came out as same.

 
At 4:10 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Binnur,

Would it be ok to use sunflower oil instead of olive oil to keep fresh, as don't have any in at present & the paste is sitting outside in the sun as I write :D Thank you

 
At 10:16 AM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi, Sure, you can:)

 
At 8:32 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Another option if you do not live in an area with a lot of sun is to cut the peppers in half then sick them in the oven at highest temp for approximately 15 min. Let cool then peel the skin off. Puree them in blender. Lightly cover skillet with oil and insert puree. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes until water is evaporated

 
At 2:27 PM, Blogger Deb G, said...

I am so happy to have found your recipes. I am making the red pepper paste today. We have no sun unfortunately. Will it still be OK? Should I still leave it out in a pan or put it in the oven?
I'd like to use it today for lahmacun. Will it be OK or does it need more time before I can use it?
Thanks so much, Deborah

 
At 6:53 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Thank you Deb :) I use it without putting it in the oven or leaving out
in a pan. But if you like, sure you can :)

 

Post a Comment

<< Home