Fresh chillies and chilli powder

Jonny69 · 28-11-2009, 18:51

I have a question about chilli powder hotness. A lot of recipes suggest using a lot more chilli than I am comfortable with. I like my food pretty damn hot and I have quite a high tolerance of hot food but...

Take Lozza's lime pickle recipe. If I used 5 teaspoons of my chilli powder it would be inedible so I've used 1 teaspoon and it's blow your head off hot. I wouldn't even put that much in a curry or chilli con carne to feed 6 because I know it would be way too hot. Jamie Oliver recipes often say to stick a few chillies in pasta, but it would be so hot it would obliterate all other flavours if I did that. Some of the curry recipes I have say to use 10-20 whole chillies plus dried but it's on the point of unbearable with a killer ring of fire if I use one whole fresh chilli and less than a teaspoon of dried.

Am I getting much hotter chilli than they are or am I just actually a weed with a sensitive sphincter?

SidewinderINC · 28-11-2009, 20:25

You'll find that "chilli powder" is more of a blend of spices for making something like a chili con carne. As such the different heat levels are about the proportions of the actual chili powder within it (if that makes sense)

If a recipe asks for chilli powder I usually add Cayenne powder, as that will usually be of the same heat level across different brands.

I'm a big fan of cooking with scotch bonnets, and I've often put a couple in a curry and found it quite pleasant to eat.
Then I've put in a couple of my own dried Thai chilis in another curry and it's been insanely hot - when technically speaking the scotch bonnets are way hotter.

Sorry if what I've just said is nothing new

28-11-2009, 18:51	#1
Jonny69 Noob Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Socialist Republik of Kent Posts: 5,032	Fresh chillies and chilli powder I have a question about chilli powder hotness. A lot of recipes suggest using a lot more chilli than I am comfortable with. I like my food pretty damn hot and I have quite a high tolerance of hot food but... Take Lozza's lime pickle recipe. If I used 5 teaspoons of my chilli powder it would be inedible so I've used 1 teaspoon and it's blow your head off hot. I wouldn't even put that much in a curry or chilli con carne to feed 6 because I know it would be way too hot. Jamie Oliver recipes often say to stick a few chillies in pasta, but it would be so hot it would obliterate all other flavours if I did that. Some of the curry recipes I have say to use 10-20 whole chillies plus dried but it's on the point of unbearable with a killer ring of fire if I use one whole fresh chilli and less than a teaspoon of dried. Am I getting much hotter chilli than they are or am I just actually a weed with a sensitive sphincter? __________________

28-11-2009, 20:25	#2
SidewinderINC Joey Tempest Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Gravesend. Posts: 2,751	You'll find that "chilli powder" is more of a blend of spices for making something like a chili con carne. As such the different heat levels are about the proportions of the actual chili powder within it (if that makes sense) If a recipe asks for chilli powder I usually add Cayenne powder, as that will usually be of the same heat level across different brands. I'm a big fan of cooking with scotch bonnets, and I've often put a couple in a curry and found it quite pleasant to eat. Then I've put in a couple of my own dried Thai chilis in another curry and it's been insanely hot - when technically speaking the scotch bonnets are way hotter. Sorry if what I've just said is nothing new __________________ No Sig.