Some Like it Hot!

I love spicy foods! It doesn't matter to me if it's Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, or good old American Buffalo Wings, I like it all. I want that burn so bad, that I've actually come to resent the chefs at several local Thai joints, because they won't make it hot enough. I keep on asking the waiters to have the chef push the envelope, to no avail. Bribery has been no help. So now, when I go out I take my own homemade condiment with me, to guarantee the burn. Is that tacky? I've always thought that it was tacky to consistently let down a good customer, that always tips over twenty percent. How hard is it to add some extra crushed chilies to a sauce? On to the business...........

The Scoville Unit measures the heat of chilies. It is the number of units of water that it takes to wash away the burn of a chili. For reference:

Jalepenos:1500 SU
Serrano:8000 SU
Cayenne:10-12,000 SU
Thai:25-50,000 SU
Chiltepin Arrebatado:75,000+SU
Orange Habenero:75-150,000 SU
Red Sport Habenero:500,000 SU
Thai/Ghost Cross: 750,000 SU
Bhut Naga (Pakistani): 1.2 million SU

There is a tremendous natural range in the chili plant, more so than most plants that I know of. They started out in the Chihuahua Desert in Northern Mexico. The small wild berries of the Chiltepin, were intensely hot, and slowly, the Nahlatl (nah-wahl) people of the desert, began to find uses for them. From there they traveled into South America, then into Europe with the first Spanish and Portuguese explorers. The Europeans found a tremendous malleability in this plant, breeding it into the European varieties we currently know. From Europe the plant traveled south and east with the Portuguese traders to Africa, and the Asian sub-continent, where it found a home in the Spice Plantations. Obviously, the plant liked it in Asia, because use of it spread like wildfire. So wildly in fact, that the only two continents that don't have a traditional use of chilies are Australia and Antarctica.
That said, onto some recipes:

Sambal

1 cup fresh red Thai Chilies
1 cup dry red Thai Chiles
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup sweet rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp Sea Salt


In a food processor: Blend the dry chilies, garlic, and salt, process until fine. Remove, and saute' in a hot, dry, non-stick pan until it begins to smoke. Process the fresh chilies until well chopped. Add to the rest of the ingredients in the pan. Saute' 1 minute. Add rice vinegar, turn to low, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Store in a clean glass jar. The Sambal will last for 2 months if kept cold.


Spicy BBQ dry-rub

4 oz Dry Ancho Chilies
2 oz Dry Chiltepin Arrebatado
2 oz Spanish smoked Paprika
1 oz Cumin seeds
1 oz Mustard seeds
1 oz black peppercorns
2 oz dried onion
2 oz dried garlic
1-1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sea salt

Wrap the Anchos' and Chiltepin chilies in foil. Place in a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes until well-dried and toasted. Add to Food Processor and blend to a powder. Add the brown sugar, salt and smoked paprika. Blend well. In a dry pan toast the cumin, black pepper, mustard seeds, onion and garlic, until very fragrant. Use an electric coffee grinder to pulverize the toasted ingredients. Add the last ingredients to the Food Processor. Blend well. The dry-rub will last one month. You can apply it to any meat or veggies you like, my favorite meat for this rub has got to be baby back ribs. Another great way to enjoy the rub is on grilled sweet corn. Just roll the corn in olive oil, and grill. Sprinkle with the rub.

Peach-Habenero Wing Sauce

1/2 lb fresh Habenero chilies
1 fresh white peach
1 16 oz can golden peaches(reserve liquid)
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 head roasted garlic
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp veg oil
salt
pepper

Finely dice 3/4 of the Habeneros, all of the canned peaches, and the peeled white peach. Saute the onion, garlic and ginger in the oil until soft, add the peaches and chilies, cook 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a blender. Puree this mix with the honey, and thin with the reserved liquid until you reach the desired consistency, add salt and pepper to taste.

Some final thought: Always use latex gloves when handling anything hotter than a serrano. Always wash your gloves before removing them, otherwise you can spread the oils to the rest of your body, and with Habeneros on up, that can mean blisters, burns, and severe pain. DO NOT EAT THE Bhut Naga's They won't kill you, but you'll wish for death.

Some do like it hot. I'm one of 'em!