Turkish Red Pepper Paste (Biber Salçası)
This Turkish red pepper paste aka Biber Salçası is a bright red and subtly flavorful condiment that adds a nice depth of flavor to your soups, stews, kebabs and other Middle Eastern recipes.
This simple sauce comes together in under 20 minutes, and amps up the subtle flavor of red peppers, transforming it into a subtle and delicate yet delicious condiment that you'll find yourself making again and again.
This classic sauce is actually an incredible flavor enhancer. Use it for your soups and stews, or spoon it over your grilled meats to lend them some extra deliciousness.
This is, infact, one of those sauces that actually double up as a marinade- just like my Middle Eastern Schug sauce aka Zhoug and my homemade Buffalo sauce.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
The best part about this recipe is the fact that it is SO easy to make. All you'll need is red bell peppers, some red chilies and a few pantry staples to make a batch.
You can then put it to use immediately or store it for later- it lasts for weeks, and is versatile enough to be used in lots of recipes- not just Turkish food.
Recipe Ingredients
Red peppers: These will be the base of the paste, so make sure you pick ones that are unblemished, plump and fleshy, and look bright red.
Chilies: Use red chilies for that beautiful color. Choose ones that are ripe and fresh, and don't have any soft spots.
Garlic: Fresh garlic, for that savory deliciousness.
Oil: Use extra virgin olive oil to keep it healthy.
Seasonings: I just used some salt to season the red pepper sauce.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- To lend a smoky kick to the red pepper paste, roast or air fry them until they have a slight char, allow them to cool and then blend and use them for the recipe.
How to Make Turkish Red Pepper Paste
Step 1: Finely chop the red peppers, garlic and chiles in a food processor.
Step 2: Transfer the mixture to a sieve and strain out the liquid as much as you can.
Step 3: Heat oil in a pan and add the strained liquid. Let the liquid reduce on low heat for 12-15 minutes. Keep stirring and season with salt.
Step 4: Once it has reduced and has a slight paste-like consistency, take it off heat, allow it to cool down and then use or store for later.
How to Store the Leftover Turkish Red Pepper Paste
Store the leftover Biber Salçası in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. You can also freeze it if you want to!
Simply allow it to cool down first, then transfer to silicone freezer molds or freezer safe bags, and pop it in- it should stay good for months.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Increase or reduce the amount of chilies in the recipe depending on your tolerance for heat. If you want the paste to have a mildly spicy flavor, add just a few chilies.
- You can also cut down the heat by removing the seeds and the white pith in the center of the chilies before you process them.
- To get the Biber Salçası to have a more thick, pasty consistency, pour the reduced mixture in a baking dish and pop it in an oven preheated at the lowest setting. Allow this to cook for 10-30 minutes, and check occasionally to see when it starts to dry up and turn thick.
- Make sure you wear gloves while handling the hot peppers.
How to Use Biber Salçası
You can use the Turkish red pepper paste as a base for any simple soup or stew. I personally love marinating my meats and kebabs in this paste- it adds such a beautiful layer of flavor to it.
You can also use the paste as a spread in your homemade wraps and sandwiches.
I love reserving some of it while it is still a bit thin and has a spoonable consistency. I use it as a condiment to drizzle over my breakfast eggs, and sometimes even my homemade pizzas and foccacia breads when I run out of my favorite olive oil pizza sauce or Italian dipping oil.
Recipe FAQs
Traditionally, it is made using dehydrated or dried peppers, and if you have a dehydrator or some time to allow the peppers to dehydrate in your oven, feel free to do it!
Related Recipes
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If you tried this Turkish red pepper paste or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Turkish Red Pepper Paste (Biber Salçası)
Ingredients
- 4-6 red peppers
- 2-3 red chiles
- 4-6 garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Finely chop the red peppers, garlic and chiles in a food processor.
- Transfer the mixture to a sieve and strain out the liquid as much as you can.
- Heat oil in a pan and add the strained liquid. Let the liquid reduce on low heat for 12-15 minutes. Keep stirring and season with salt.
- Once it has reduced and has a slight paste-like consistency, take it off heat, allow it to cool down and then use or store for later.
Notes
-
Increase or reduce the amount of chilies in the recipe depending on your tolerance for heat. If you want the paste to have a mildly spicy flavor, add just a few chilies.
-
You can also cut down the heat by removing the seeds and the white pith in the center of the chilies before you process them.
-
To get the Biber Salçası to have a more thick, pasty consistency, pour the reduced mixture in a baking dish and pop it in an oven preheated at the lowest setting. Allow this to cook for 10-30 minutes, and check occasionally to see when it starts to dry up and turn thick.
-
Make sure you wear gloves while handling the hot peppers.
