chili question

L

Lovely Smile

New member
What is the difference between our Mexican/American powdered chilis
and Indian chili powder?

I have lots of different powdered American chilis on hand, so can I
use one I like in that recipe instead of buying a whole new product?
If it's supposed to be hot, how about using cayenne? That's hot
enough for me.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
In article ,
sf wrote:


In addition to having varying degrees of "hot", different capsicum
peppers have (sometimes very) different flavor profiles. In many cases,
the type of pepper that is called for in a given dish is as much about
those "other" flavors as it is about the hot -- certain profiles are
associated with certain countries' cuisines, for example.


So the answer is, yes, you can use any pepper that you like -- or that
you have on hand -- but don't expect that the resulting dish will taste
as it "should".

Isaac
 
On Sun, 03 Apr 2011 21:48:24 -0700, isw wrote:


I guess you know as much as anyone, Isaac... so what exactly is that
unspecified "red chili powder" supposed to be? No brand name or
pepper types are suggested. Here's the recipe


Curried Butternut Squash Soup

1. Heat 2 tsp. oil and saute a large minced onion with salt and
pepper.

2. Add the following and saute for 2 minutes:

* 1 chopped tomato
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 tsp. Sri Lankan curry powder (or your favorite masala)
* 1 tsp. paprika
* 1 tsp. red chili powder (optional, but the heat contrasts well
with sweet squash)

3. Add cubed butternut squash (4 cups or so, half of a medium squash)
and saute for 2 minutes.

4. Add 1 cup thick coconut milk and 2 to 3 cups water or vegetable
stock. Simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Blend the soup using an immersion blender. Garnish if fresh herbs
if desired and serve.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
sf wrote:


The chilli powder I buy at the Oriental market is just cayenne, or
at least something indistinguishably close.

I bought some dried peppers at an Indian store about 10 years ago;
figured out they were a variety called "Dundicut" that I haven't
seen before even in specialty seed catalogs. They were hot but not
extraordinarily so, and quite fragrant. I grew some of the seeds.
The fresh peppers tasted good but were extremely seedy. That's OK
if you like to eat the seeds, but if you tried to remove them first
there wouldn't be anything left. I gave some of the seeds to my
parents in Texas; they grew them and took some fresh peppers to my
dad's cardiologist (an Indian.) He recognized them immediately and
was excited to get them. Probably like a Texan and good jalape?os
or Shiner beer. :-)

-Bob
 
On Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:35:51 -0500, zxcvbob
wrote:


Thanks! So, do you think I could tone it down with some ground New
Mexico if I needed to and not ruin the recipe? My family isn't crazy
about "hot" things. They are okay with a little heat, but they don't
do burnouts. I have no idea how the flavor between them differs.


--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
On 4/4/2011 1:35 AM, zxcvbob wrote:
Interestingly, I came across those recently in Penzey's. They are
relatively cheap and can give an interesting flavor to Indian food.
Penzey's says that Dundicuts come from Pakistan.

--


James Silverton, Potomac

I'm "not"
[email protected]
 
sf wrote:


Based on the description and commentary, it does sound like it may be
referring to cayenne pepper as a basic heat component. The typical chili
powders we think of usually aren't particularly hot.
 
On Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:35:51 -0500, zxcvbob
wrote:


All capsicum are native to the Americas... those used by various
ethnicities are either the same as grown in the Americas or their own
hybrids, ie. Hungarian paprikas
 
On Mon, 04 Apr 2011 08:15:54 -0400, James Silverton
wrote:


Penzeys means they *buy* their dundicuts from Pakistan, but all
capsicums are native to the Americas.... capsicums are now grown world
wide, same as many other types of produce that're native to the
Americas are grown worldwide. Prior to the discovery of the New World
food choices elsewhere were pretty boring.
 
On Mon, 04 Apr 2011 08:15:54 -0400, James Silverton
wrote:


That's close enough for me, considering the history.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
On 4/4/2011 12:17 AM, sf wrote:

From the recipe, I think they're referring to the chili powder
mixture sold in the US, which is a mixture of powdered chilis plus
other seasonings. The name refers more to its common usage (to flavor
the dish known as chili) than to its specific composition. As The
Spice House says,

"Chile pepper is often confused with chili powder. When a recipe
refers to chile pepper, this means pure chile pepper. The most
commonly used is the ancho pepper in its ground form. A chili powder,
on the other hand, is a mixture of ingredients. All of our chili
powders are salt free, mixed 1500 times by hand and triple sifted to
achieve exactly the right flavor and color combination; use 1-3 Tblsp.
per quart of chili, to suit your preference. Ingredients: sweet ancho
chile pepper, cumin, garlic, and powdered Mexican oregano. Medium
chili powder adds cayenne pepper and paprika; hot chili powder adds
cayenne and hot crushed red pepper."

http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/mild-medium-or-hot-chili-powder
 
On Mon, 04 Apr 2011 22:56:32 -0700, isw wrote:

That's all I need to know, thanks.


--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
In article , Brooklyn1
says...

I think you will find that Capsicums are a world fruit, otherwise
Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi not to mention Chinese food would have been
non existent before the discovery of the "new world", but the "new
world" was discovered by mistake, while trying to find a shorter route
than the established trade route, for European merchants and traders.

--
Carl Robson
Get cashback on your purchases
Topcashback http://www.TopCashBack.co.uk/skraggy_uk/ref/index.htm
Greasypalm http://www.greasypalm.co.uk/r/?l=1006553
 
On Tue, 5 Apr 2011 15:04:05 +0200, "Giusi" wrote:


I wonder how spicy and hot came to be equated? I didn't know they
were synonymous before I came to California and heard it used in that
way here. Took me a while to understand what they meant. Before
that, spicy (in the lexicon where I came from) meant highly spiced
with real spices and had nothing to do with chili peppers.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
On Tue, 05 Apr 2011 10:23:57 -0500, Omelet
wrote:


So that's what Long Pepper looks like. My imagination wasn't too far
off.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
 
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