Chilli

[Halcyon]

I have a friend who for many years, was completely against adding chilli to food, whether it was fresh or pickled chilli, dried chilli flakes or ground chilli (like cayenne or kashmiri) and whenever he did try chilli, it would be "too hot". For years, I persisted and insisted that once you push your tolerances, I can guarantee you'll be adding chilli to most things and it will make food taste better. Finally, I cracked him and now he absolutely loves chilli. My mother is the same as well.

I use chilli like most people use salt, it goes into just about everything I cook in varying amounts. If I'm out, I generally order the hottest thing on the menu or add supplemental chilli, sometimes to the detriment of my bowels the following morning. If it's Indian and Asian cuisine, I challenge the kitchen to make it as hot as they possibly can ^{(NOTE 1)}. It's all part of the addiction I suppose.

I'm curious to hear about your chilli experiences.

NOTE 1: I know you can buy pure Capsaicin or those "novelty" chilli products that is just pure heat and no flavour. That's not what I'm referring to. I want actual flavour with my heat, not just hot for the sake of hot that tastes like chemicals.

[wraper]

I challenge the kitchen to make it as hot as they possibly can.

[Halcyon]

I forgot I was dealing with a bunch of nerds. Original post edited for clarity.

[sleemanj]

Chillies are fine when used correctly and in moderation to add a little zing to a dish

Correctly and in moderation is the important caveat.  Hot is not a flavour.

I use and grow my own.

[wraper]

I'm not a pepper expert but I have grown some Chili, Jalapenos and some other hotter peppers last year. My wife preferred Jalapenos hands down due to flavor, said to plant only those this year, not bother with the rest.

[Gerhard_dk4xp]

i tried to make an capsaicin extraction with ethanol / schnaps and got a thick fluid
result; I did not dare to try it.   :-)

Home-grown Scotch Bonnet and Chocolate Habaneros:

[themadhippy]

If it's Indian and Asian cuisine, I challenge the kitchen to make it as hot as they possibly can

Best to not try that in thailand or Vietnam,you will loose.

[wraper]

If it's Indian and Asian cuisine, I challenge the kitchen to make it as hot as they possibly can

Best to not try that in thailand or Vietnam,you will loose.

Lose twice, when eating, and the day after.

[tooki]

I challenge the kitchen to make it as hot as they possibly can.

I remember, maaaaany years ago, seeing a TV report about a chili convention. This one company sold what was basically concentrated chili juice to use as a food additive; it was way too hot to use as a sauce. They were dipping the tips of toothpicks into it to let people taste. One young culinary student tried it and had the best description: “It’s like there’s a demon in my mouth and it’s trying to kill me!” 😂

[andy3055]

If it's Indian and Asian cuisine, I challenge the kitchen to make it as hot as they possibly can

Best to not try that in thailand or Vietnam,you will loose.

Agreed.  Thai can be very, very hot. Indian cooking is nowhere near that.

[tooki]

Nepalese will knock your socks off. I think it beats Thai in maximum heat.

[coppercone2]

for making chili using the skin of the dried smoked peppers after boiling and pouring off the water (possibly more then once) can get a very flavorful dish without as much heat.

[floobydust]

I stopped using chili powder years ago. Pure heat is kind of boring and stomps out other flavours.

I had been using a few red thai peppers but these are super hot, not a great afterglow and the heat is a bit searing. Also, the capsicum ends up all over me, even if I wash my hands it's on my arms or something and gets in my eyes, on my lips. The oily stuff seems to spray about when you cut them up. So I stopped using them.

Then I went to ghost pepper sauce which is really nice in milder doses. When it's not all about the kill from the heat, ghost pepper is nice. But it gives me vivid, silly dreams so I stopped using it.

Lately I am using around 4 jalepenos, split with seeds removed. This add nice flavour and mild zing.
I notice Frank's RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce is fantastic, adding only a small amount 1tsp to 1tbl really brings out the other pepper's flavours.

If you add even a little cold water while cooking hot chili con carne, I find it's ruined- so I have a rule to "never temperature shock chili". Not sure why but it's a consistent finding of mine. I think adding cold veggies can do it too.

A bit more research and I find cooking with hot peppers, they appear to be sensitive to pH.
A secret ingredient is adding vinegar which I think keeps it acidic. I have not tried lime for that.

[coppercone2]

If you boil them for a few min then swap the water and do it again you will lose a little flavor and most of the heat. That is how you can use a real amount of spicy peppers in your meal for the flavor without making it into a chemical weapon. Like habanero flavor instead of heat

IMO the exotic potent ingredients are not usable as flavors unless you do this, the smaller peppers are basically going to saturate it with heat at realistic quantities.

Doing a milk- boil for the first run might work even better but I have not tried, if you pour it off later.


I don't think its good for your stomach in blister-agent doses unless you are using it for a medical reason. Just seeding them is not enough, you need a pour-off IMO.

It should dissolve it in hot fat, and then you need to rinse it.



I tried a ghost pepper sauce and it literarly made me sick in a quantity of like 1/4 teaspoon. Aweful. It's like drinking some kind of jungle antidote for parasites lol, or eating a cigarette

I still renember putting it on that turkey sandwich, it went something like this

[floobydust]

Can you eat a raw jalapeno (seeds removed)? I find it mild and have them with a sandwich or something.

A friend once opened up a hot sauce store. 100's of bottles and I asked him WTF because I'm not interested and they all have weapon names and what's all the attraction?
Names like Satan's Rage, Xtreme Regret, Arbol Scorpion, Hellfire's Fear This!, Slap Ya Mama etc. Kinda scary.
I was told hot pepper connoisseurs rate them for the heat - ramp up, plateau, maybe a 2nd stage, the cool down, the afterglow, duration etc. Apparently it's like wine tasting...

"... all hot sauce is fermented. Hot sauce is made by combining chilies (and other ingredients) with vinegar and letting them sit for a period of time—anywhere from 5 to 7 days to 3 months. This fermentation process breaks the chilies down and helps make the flavors rich and complex."

"... chili peppers literally get your blood pumping, tricking your brain into thinking that your tongue is on fire. So when you eat hot sauce, you experience an adrenaline rush along with whatever tasty ingredients are included".

[Halcyon]

If it's Indian and Asian cuisine, I challenge the kitchen to make it as hot as they possibly can

Best to not try that in thailand or Vietnam,you will loose.

Agreed.  Thai can be very, very hot. Indian cooking is nowhere near that.

Indian is very varied, even in Western countries. If you take one dish, it's different depending on which restaurant you go to and where in India they were from. I find this really exciting as you never really know what you're going to get.

I have had Vindaloo where it's a solid 9 or 10 out of 10 for me, other times I've ordered it and reinforced to them that I don't want it "white people hot" and that I want it as hot as they can make it and it's come out as a 5/10 at best. Still delicious though.

If you're ever in Sydney or Canberra, there is a restaurant called "Bamiyan". They serve Afghan food and it's fucking delicious. Their garlic butter prawn is amazing.

[themadhippy]

Nepalese will knock your socks off.

only tried it  in the uk not at source,but don't recall it being that spicy .

Vindaloo

Up yer game and go for a phall

[beanflying]

A friend of mine (Indian) does Curries at a local market. Her Vindaloo is actually a bit more mild than her Butter Chicken. How Hot Curries are is up to who cooks them. My Moroccan Lamb as an example is hotter than what she puts up at the market but that is for me 

On Chilies' I have grown Habaneros for years but they are a bit hard to get the right quantity for smaller or solo servings. So Long Green like Jalapeno or similar generally with seeds in was what I grew this year. I have just finished preserving the last bulk harvest before Winter, chop fine, a few hours in brine then rinse and cover with Oil.

Easy meal and what I am doing tonight a couple with some Vietnamese and Sweet Basil, Red Onion and Chinese Pork Dumplings with some other Stir Fry Veg. and some Sauce bits in the pan. 10 minutes and enjoy.

[themadhippy]

. I have just finished preserving the last bulk harvest before Winter, chop fine, a few hours in brine then rinse and cover with Oil.

Freezing is another good way of preserving,chop fine and put into ice cube molds,to use  drop a cube in,or grate the frozen cube for smaller amounts