Chilies
I'm cooking my way through Tuesday Nights and have so many faves- many that call for Serrano, Jalapeño or Thai chilies. I love the sweet/heat combos like the Thai grapefruit salad or the spicy herbal flavor of the stir fried chicken or the three cup chicken. Any jalapeño I've seeded and cooked with has completely lost all it's kick. After researching Thai chili that is called for in the shrimp dish the only conclusion I can come up with is Thai references any number of different chilies. The times I've cooked with serranos I'm finding that 2 of the same chilies side by side can be pretty different on the heat scale. I've developed a bit of "fear of the chili". I want the heat but I want to try to substitute something more measurable- like red pepper flakes or cayenne. Or perhaps dried chili? Any direction on the elusive chili would be most appreciated. _
Comments
I learned an effective trick from my many years of reading and watching Jacques Pepin. Before you decide to seed or leave whole, try a little piece of the pepper. If its too hot? Seed it, or partially seed it. If it's not hot enough? leave them in. This has worked for me time and time again.
Hope this helps.