Bhoot Jolokia Pickle / Ghost Chilli Pickle

Preparation for making ghost chilli pickle

Bhoot jolokia/Bhut jolokia (ভোট জলকীয়া) or Ghost chilli is one of the hottest chilli on earth cultivated basically in Assam and some other parts of northeast India. The bhoot jolokias are two or three inches long and starts out green in colour. It turns red only when ripened. This ripened ghost chilli in the first bite gives an intense sweet chilli flavor. The heat doesn't kick at the beginning. As you started chewing it, the heat kicks in and your mouth started burning together starts sweating and watery eyes.

Bhoot jolokia

Don't touch ghost chilli with bare hands after cutting. But as we Assamese people do not use spoon and fork and eat our meal with our fingers, we have the practice of touching this red hot chili with our bare hands. Do you remember the Indian chilli queen Anandita Dutta Tamuly. She is know for eating and rubbing bhoot jolokia on her bare eyes. But you don't try this and don't even touch bhoot jolokia with bare hands if you don't have practice. Today I made ghost chilli pickle and chopped the ghost chillies with my bare hands. I'm still feeling the burning sensation in my hands even after washing my hands. If it happens to you also, use ice cubes to reduce the burning sensation from your hands.

Ghost chillies on cutting board

Bhoot jolokia pickle is one of the most essential thing I like to store in my kitchen. Bhoot jolokia production varies according to season and it is mostly available during summer in the month of June, July and August. So for the rest of the less available months, I like to preserve it by picking. I make two different types of bhoot jolokia pickle. One is the simplest one in mustard oil and the other one is with bamboo shoots. The first one is more in use. A single drop of bhoot jolokia pickling oil is enough to create taste to a boring dish.

I buy bhoot jolokia from local market. Three or four chillies cost rupees ten only. So I have got eight chillies for rupees twenty only. I remember a bhoot jolokia vendor who used to sell his huge amount of bhoot jolokia everyday by sitting on the footpath near Chowkidinghee chariali at Dibrugarh few years ago. I saw him everyday with the same amount of bhoot jolokia in the morning at about 7.30 a.m when I took my daughter to her school when she was studying in St Xavier's School and saw him almost finished selling it when I went again to pick up her back from school at about 12 p.m. I don't know whether he is still selling ghost chillies or not as my daughter's school is changed now and it's direction is in some other way.

So there is a huge demand of bhoot jolokia over here in Assam. Bhoot jolokia has been cultivated from centuries in Assam and some of the parts of northeast India but it is introduced in western world few years ago. As people are getting concerned about ghost chilli, it is now exported to other parts of India and world. It is generally exported in dried and pickled versions. Many local boys are now earning profits from cultivating ghost chilli. Bhoot jolokia or ghost chilli is now a serious business.

You can buy bhoot jolokia pickle from the market, but the one that you get from the market is spicy one. You can make it at home without any spices with just mustard oil and salt. Generally every household in Assam, you will get one such bottle of ghost chilli pickle. Assamese like to add this ghost chilli pickle or the oil from the ghost chilli pickle into pitikas (mashed potatoes and vegetables). It adds an extra flavour in it. So here I'm going to share this simple ghost chilli pickle recipe. I made this pickle with my bare hands because I'm used to it. But if you are making it for the first time don't forget to wear hand gloves. Wash the gloves after making this pickle recipe. And remember don't rub your eyes after making this pickle or after cutting the ghost chillies if you are making it with your bare hands.