Category: Condiments
Hot Sesame
Ingredients:
mirasol chile peppers sesame seeds
salt
Search out mirasol capsicum/chile peppers from a victualler that caters to Andean customers. They are the wrinkled, long, deep orange ones. (The peppers, not the customers.) Wipe them carefully with a dampened towel. Toast them over low heat until the skins become blistered and somewhat blackened. Brush or scrape away as much of this blistered skin as you can, then slit the capsicums and remove the seeds and membranes.
Put a quarter cup of brown sesame seeds and a quarter teaspoon of coarse salt into a small iron pan or into the bottom of a dry, clean wok. Toast over medium heat very carefully, shaking the pan and stirring, until the seeds only just begin to colour. At this point their aroma will be quite evident. Turn the seeds and salt into the mortar while still hot, and crush with the pestle until more or less smooth.
Add the chile peppers/capsicum to the mortar and work vigorously for a few moments, until the pieces are at least roughly broken up. Then add a tablespoon of water. Continue to work this with the pestle, until it thickens into a paste. Add another tablespoon of water and continue until the paste is smooth enough to suit you.
Now let it stand for twenty minutes before use, and adjust the consistency with a little water if necessary.
Use this formulation to light up sandwiches, beans, or brush it onto vegetables about to be grilled.
Notes:
These mirasol chile peppers are those used in the famous skewered street-snack
from Perú called anticuchos. (See our version of that dish, 'Heartless
Anticuchos,' herein.)
Sesame seed come in pale ivory, tan, and black forms. I find them all
wonderful.
Unfortunately, the it's more difficult to spot any debris or dirt in the
black ones.
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