Organic Birds Eye Chillies whole Dried Standard 25g - Steenbergs details and description

Steenbergs Organic Birds Eye Chillies are sometimes called Thai Chilli or more generically peri peri or piri piri chillies, which is really more a name given to hot chillis in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of India, or they are even mixed up with Chilli Piquin, from whence they might have originated.  Steenbergs Organic Birds Eye Chillis are the most popular dried chilli in the UK and very popular with Steenbergs customers.  Organic Bird's Eye Chilli are small, red and fiery hot chillis and should be used with caution, packing a punch at around 100,000 Scoville Heat Units or 9/10 on a more generic scale. Add 1 or 2 Steenbergs Organic Bird's Eye Chillies to sauces or stewed meats to give them a kick. Alternatively grind the organic bird's eye chillies with a pestle and mortar and add to soy sauce as a dip for Chinese snacks, like spring rolls and prawn wontons.  Our Birds Eye Chilli currently comes from Uganda.

Chilli plants vary considerably in size, appearance and heat. Capsicum frutescens is a short lived perennial shrub that lasts for 2-3 years.  Capsicum frutescens has pointed oval leaves that are tear shaped and have firm woody stems, growing to 1 - 2 metres high (3 - 6 ft). They are usually grown for 2 - 3 years. The chilli pod is a many seeded red berry (10-20 seeds) with a shiny skin that comes in a wide variety of shapes, colours, thickness and spicy heat.

The aroma and flavour of fresh chillis is distinctly capsicum-like, with a hint of sweetness. Their pungent bite comes from the levels of capsaicin present in the fruit; capsaicin causes the brain to release endorphins and so feelings of wellbeing. To make dry chillis, the fresh chillies are dried indoors at 20-25C (68-77F) to allow them to fully ripen, then they are dried outside on concrete floors, roofs of buildings or woven mats. At night they are heaped into piles and covered with tarpaulins to protect them, before being spread out again during the day. It takes roughly three days for the moisture content to be brought down to 10% from 70-80% when fresh; as an approximation, 100kg of fresh chillies yields 25-35kg of dried chilli spice. For more information on organic birds eye chillis, visit  Wikipedia.

With the popularity of Indian and Mexican cooking in the UK, we have become very fond of chilli in our food, whether dried or via a table sauce. I am forever adding some heat from a sauce to add some spice into insipid and bland chicken, soup or vegetables. Why not also make a simple sauce by adding 3 or 4 fresh chillies or dried organic Birds Eye chilli to a bottle of sherry for a few days, then adding it to food as and when needed? For more inspiration, try Steenbergs recipes or the BBC Website.

Steenbergs Organic Birds Eye Chilli Pepper is a core part of Steenbergs UK range of over 400 organic spices, peppers, seasonings, herbs and flavoured sugars. It can be found in many of our retail stockists; for your nearest outlet, you can search our stockist database, ring Steenbergs on 01765 640 088 or email us at enquiries@steenbergs.co.uk.

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