Biber Salçası - Turkish Red Pepper Paste

Thu 24 April 2025

A basic Levant/Middle Eastern/Turkish condiment. Useful for making Muhammara (red pepper dip for Pita) by mixing with Walnuts, some pomogranite molases and/or sumac/lemon or as a thickening for a variety of stewed dishes.

This is reduced Red Bell Peppers at their best.

Bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil. Trim and remove seeds from 6 Red Bell Peppers and cut into 1 ½" chunks. Trim and remove the seeds from 3 small red chili peppers, then finely chop them.

Place the peppers and hot water in a large Dutch oven. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring often, for 25 minutes. Gently press and turn as you stir; They will start to break apart and soften and most of the liquid will absorb.

Add the chili peppers and keep on stirring and cooking over a medium-low heat for another 10 minutes. By the end of this time the peppers will be cooked and the moisture evaporated. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Place the cooked peppers in a food processor and process until the mixture is almost a smooth purée (I like a little texture).Return the puréed peppers to the pot, season with 2 teaspoons salt and cook over a low heat for a further 30–35 minutes, stirring continuously so the purée doesn’t burn, until the juices have evaporated. The purée will shrink by half and turn into a soft paste. Remove from the heat.

Pour the paste into a clean glass jar, and gently push down and shake a little to settle. Top with the extra virgin olive oil and seal with a lid. Allow to cool, then store your prepared paste in your refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

How to Use Red Pepper Paste

Enjoy for brunch: I love simply spreading over sourdough bread, topped with sliced olives and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add a poached or boiled egg over for a delicious brunch!
Make dips: Pepper paste is a must in our much loved dip, Muhammara; combined with extra virgin olive oil, walnuts, little bread and onion, it makes a very pleasant dip! Try pepper paste in a variety of dips of your choice.
Marinades: Pepper paste is fantastic in marinades, adding richness and depth of flavor. Try marinating your meat, fish or vegetables with pepper paste, combined with olive oil, garlic, and seasonings of your choice, like Aleppo pepper, cumin, and coriander.
Soups: Add pepper paste to your soups; it is fantastic in Turkish bulgur and lentil soup, Ezo Gelin Çorbası, or Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Kırmızı Mercimek Çorbası).
Sauces: I add a spoonful of pepper paste in my pasta sauces – whether it is vegetarian or combined with meat, it greatly enhances flavor. Try adding a spoonful in this Roasted Red Pepper Pasta. Or use it to make a spiced oil for traditional Turkish Manti.
Salads: Pepper paste is fantastic in salads, too, especially in grain and pulses based salads. I add to my Spicy bulgur salad, Kisir, for instance, combining the pepper paste with bulgur, onions, tomatoes, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil – delicious! I also love the depth it brings to Ezme, a spicy Turkish salad-meets-salsa.

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