Ingredients
The chillies
- 50 gbird’s eye chillies
- small and very hot
- stems removed
The rest
- 1 teaspooncoarse salt
- juice of 2 limes
- 3garlic cloves, optional
- a little oil, optional
The equipment
- a stone mortar and pestle
- or a small blender
- gloves
To serve
- with grilled fish
- stirred into satini
- a tiny amount at a time
Directions
- Wash with soap and plenty of water. Do not lean out over the mortar. Let a blender settle before opening it. Give it a minute after stopping.
- Put on gloves before you start. Once your gloves are on keep them on. Rinse the chillies and dry them. Pull the stems off every single one. Pull them off rather than cutting.
- Put the chillies and salt in the mortar. Pound all of them steadily down. Pound rather than grinding at first. It should become a coarse red paste. Add the garlic cloves and pound them in. Some versions have it and some do not. Squeeze the lime juice into the paste. Work it in using the stone pestle.
- Add enough to loosen it slightly. It should be a thick paste rather than a sauce. Add the lime juice in gradually. Stir a little oil into the paste.
- Oil helps it to keep much longer. A thin film on top seals it over. Use the smallest possible amount. Have milk or bread ready first. Add more salt if it tastes flat. Add more lime if it is too thick. Put it into a small clean jar.
- Cover the surface with a film of oil. It keeps several weeks refrigerated. Discard it if it ever grows mould. Wash the whole mortar thoroughly.
- Wash it with soap and hot water. Serving it is done in tiny amounts. Put a small spoonful on the side. Start with a smear rather than a spoon. It keeps several weeks refrigerated.
Technique
- Wear gloves for this without exception. You are crushing a large quantity of very hot chilli, the paste coats everything it touches, and hands stay contaminated for hours because capsaicin is oil soluble and water alone does not remove it. Wash with soap and plenty of water, or rub oil on first — and if it reaches eyes or skin use milk or oil rather than water, which only spreads it.
- Crushing chillies releases capsaicin into the air, which irritates eyes and throat and makes people cough. Open a window before you start and do not lean over the mortar. A blender is worse than a mortar here, since opening the lid releases a cloud of it — let it settle a minute after stopping and open it away from your face.
- Taste it by touching a fingertip to it, never by the spoon, and have milk or bread ready. It is far hotter than it looks, and the heat cannot be reduced afterwards — it is fixed by the chillies used.
Substitutions
- A small blender stands in for a stone mortar, though the mortar crushes rather than chopping, gives a better paste texture and releases less into the air.
- Garlic pounded in adds depth beyond the heat; some versions have it and some do not, and both are made in the Seychelles.
Variations
- Capsaicin affects mammals but not birds, which lack the receptor, so birds eat these chillies freely and spread the seeds — which is why they come up wild in gardens and why the chilli is named for the bird.
- The seeds and membrane carry most of the heat and are left in, which is the whole point of the paste.
- Wash the mortar with soap and hot water afterwards, scrubbing rather than rinsing, since capsaicin clings to stone and flavours the next thing you pound in it.
History
The small chili grows wild in Seychellois gardens; the paste is served with grilled fish and stirred into satini.
Frequently asked questions
What is Piman zwazo?
Piman zwazo is a sauce & condiment from Seychelles: tiny bird’s eye chilies crushed with lime and salt into a burning relish. The small chili grows wild in Seychellois gardens; the paste is served with grilled fish and stirred into satini.
How long does Piman zwazo take to make?
Piman zwazo takes 20 minutes of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes about 150 g. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Piman zwazo?
Yes, within limits. A small blender stands in for a stone mortar, though the mortar crushes rather than chopping, gives a better paste texture and releases less into the air. Garlic pounded in adds depth beyond the heat; some versions have it and some do not, and both are made in the Seychelles.
What is the most important thing to get right in Piman zwazo?
Wash with soap and plenty of water. Do not lean out over the mortar. Let a blender settle before opening it. Give it a minute after stopping.
