Hawaiian Chili

• Grown, sold, and described by Bunny Hop Seeds
• Time to maturity: midseason
• Heat: very hot
• Approx. number of seeds per pack: 20+
• Capsicum frutescens
• Bagged Bloom Seeds

“Hawaiian Chili” is a variety that is popularly used for the local foods in Hawaii, according to my original seed source, University of Hawaii Seed Lab. It is a toasty little red critter, 50,000 to 75,000 Scoville units…reminding me of Tabasco in heat. This is an easy-to-grow variety, and I have grown it successfully in the ground and in 5 gal grow bags.
I have read that these peppers are most commonly used to make a condiment called Hawaiian chili pepper water. It is used in restaurants and at home for any dish that needs a little bit of heat. I saw that it is used on poi, and from my memory of tasting poi, I can imagine that the Hawaiian pepper water would perk up the flavor nicely. And so…you may be wondering how to make this condiment. I am sure there are variations, but this is a nice recipe: https://www.snackhawaii.com/blogs/recipes/hawaiian-chili-pepper-water-recipe
INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• About 8 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp Hawaiian Salt
• As many Hawaiian Chili Peppers as you can handle (8-20)
• A dash of shoyu (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Mash your garlic, Hawaiian Chili Peppers and Hawaiian salt lightly with a mortar and pestle.
2. Boil your vinegar and water and then pour over all other ingredients into a clean sterilized glass bottle.
3. Let cool and add a dash of shoyu if you like that extra saltiness. Refrigerate after a day or so.

As you can imagine, the longer the pepper water sits, the stronger it gets. I recommend this chile for anyone who likes to add spice to their food on the plate, and for anyone who usually has a little trouble growing peppers.