Recipe: Hunanese chopped salted chiles

Hunanese chopped salted chiles

Total time: 10 minutes plus 2 weeks steeping time

Servings: This makes about 1 3/4 cups chopped chiles

Note: Adapted from “Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes From Hunan Province” by Fuchsia Dunlop

1 pound very fresh red Thai chiles

1/4 cup salt, divided

1. Wash the chiles and dry thoroughly. Remove their stems and tips and chop coarsely with the seeds. (You might wish to use rubber gloves, because it can get very spicy.) Place the chopped chiles in a bowl.

2. Add 3 1/2 tablespoons salt to the chiles and mix thoroughly. Place the salted chiles in a glass gar and cover with the remaining salt. Seal with a tight-fitting lid. Leave in a cool place for a couple of weeks before using, and then refrigerate once opened. The chiles will keep, refrigerated, for months.

Each tablespoon: 6 calories; 0 protein; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 0 grams fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 1 gram sugar; 998 mg. sodium.