How to Dry Chillis

 These are the last few chillis that I have been ripening.  Now that we have just had our first frost of the year here in London, I brought these inside to dry. The two varieties I have here are Joe's Long and the wonderful Spaghetti Chillis.

 Chillis have a shiny, waxy coating that makes it difficult to dry them without access to the inside of the fruit. It is much easier to just snip open the chillis with a pair of scissors in order to speed up the drying process.

 So I lined them up on a baking sheet..in the very bottom of the oven at the coolest setting.  I had a gas temperature which showed 1/2 at the start of the dial.  So leave them at the bottom of the oven to dry out.  This may take several hours.

 When they are completely dry they will be crispy. What a gorgeous ruby colour.

 If they are not completely dry it will be difficult to dry to a chilli powder and it will not store well. If it is at all damp it will deteriorate and go mouldy in storage.

 So I snipped them into a coffee grinder

and this natural chilli powder should last me a little while. Actually I have developed a bit of a chilli habit.. so I add it to most things nowadays.