Habanero Mix by Erich Stekovics, orange-red and extremely hot
Habanero Mix by Erich Stekovics is a seasoning paste made from orange habanero peppers that are grated raw and blended with sea salt and rapeseed oil. Nothing is cooked, which is why the fruit retains its aroma and the heat comes through unchecked.
Habanero Mix is the extremely hot chili paste from Erich Stekovics in Burgenland, grown by Lake Neusiedl, orange-red and thick, packaged in a small jar. Sea salt is listed immediately after the peppers in the ingredients and makes up almost one-fifth of the paste, which should be taken into account when seasoning.
Late heat that lingers
The scent is surprisingly friendly, floral, and reminiscent of ripe stone fruit, revealing little of what is to come. The heat kicks in with a delay, often only after a few seconds, and then rises to a level that stops conversations in their tracks.
Afterward, it subsides only slowly, which is why there should be a break between two tastings. Beneath the heat, a tropical fruitiness remains palpable, which makes all the difference compared to pure heat from a bottle. Water doesn't help much, whereas bread, yogurt, or rice help a great deal.
Among gardeners, the orange habanero is considered the classic of its kind—bolder in tone than the yellow variety and far fruitier than red cayenne varieties. Those who know it will recognize it by its scent long before the first bite is in their mouth.
In chili con carne, curry, and marinade
Take the tip of a teaspoon for a pot, stir it in, and wait before you think about adding more.
The paste belongs in chili con carne, curry, salsa, or a marinade for the grill, as well as in a hearty bean soup. On a fried egg, a dot the size of a pea is enough, and it incorporates best into guacamole if you stir it in along with the lime.
Salt your dish only at the end, because the paste already introduces a generous amount of sea salt to the pot. Close the jar tightly and keep it refrigerated; the oil film will keep the surface fresh.
Salt instead of cooking, the oldest method
Salt is the oldest method for preserving vegetables through the winter—older than vinegar and older than any canning process. It draws water out of the pepper, depriving yeast and bacteria of the foundation they need, which is why this paste requires no heat.
That is precisely its advantage: raw fruit tastes different from cooked fruit—more floral and brighter—and heating it would be the first thing to cause that very aroma to be lost. Erich Stekovics therefore grates the peppers fresh and stirs in the salt and rapeseed oil cold. The oil forms a protective layer over the mixture and keeps air away from it.
How well the salt works becomes evident upon opening, as the paste still glows orange-red even after months instead of darkening. Erich Stekovics fills them into small jars because few people would manage to use up larger ones.
A tiny jar for many pots
Because the portions are so small, this jar can sit on the shelf ready for use for years. Anyone who knows how to handle heat will find this to be at the top of the range. The yellow Tropic Habanero Mix comes from the same source and can be found among the chili specialties of Erich Stekovics.
