Chilli preparation

[mirita]

We have grown chilli's for the first time this year, it is not our usual fare, so could someone advise us on how to prepare a chilli before applying it to a meal/recipe to be made edible. Also, what would be a good starter for a beginner to add the chilli to? There are many recipes out there, but they all seem to require the dried chilli powder. Thanks for your help.

[Capsid]

You just chop them up and add to the meal. Simple. How much depends on the scoville units of the variety which is a measure of its heat intensity. The seeds are quite hot too, so some recipes will exclude or include them depending on how hot you want the meal.

This site gives you some idea of the heat intensity of the chilli varieties.

[rustylady]

We have grown chilli's for the first time this year, it is not our usual fare

Do you like spicy food? If not, why grow chillies? Fresh chillies can be used in exactly the same way as dried chillies or chilli powder. You just need to adjust the quantity. I use mine in pasta sauces, chutneys, chilli con carne or chilli non carne, wherever you want a bit of heat.

[zazen999]

I usually slice a bit of mine and try it as I prepare it; if I can stand the heat I'll add 2; if I need urgent water I'll just add half. In between, I'll add the full chilli. I usually take the seeds out unless I only have one chilli and I'd like to use 2. Any left over get chopped and added to the freezer chilli bank [which is basically chopped chillis wrapped in cling film for future chilli sauces. We eat veg chilli once a week though; hence growing chillis and pinto beans.

The seeds go straight into envelopes for swopping for other brands of chillis later in the year as I'm trying to build up a large selection.

[Peebels]

Like the other grapes have said above, its all about preference really. I tend to find chilli goes well with a lot of dishes really. Add a little and it can give you a subtle difference in taste; add more and it can drastically alter the dish.

If you’re not really into hot food you can use them to add a little kick to tomato source based dishes. Just take whole chilli or two, slice a long slit in the side and add it to your source at the start of cooking, then just take it out before serving.

If you intend to chop it and add it to dishes just remember that the hottest parts are the seeds and the layer they are attached to on the inside of the chilli. So experiment by leaving out some or all of these parts to find out how spicy you like it. I would recommend chopping it small to begin with. It also goes surprisingly well with egg, I have chilli in my omlets, with egg, cheese and bacon. Tried it with duck eggs the other day and it was really nice.

Another favourite in our house is chilli chicken breasts. Get some olive oil, add to it garlic (not too much, chopped or pasted), some mixed herbs (whatever you fancy), a splash of lemon juice and chopped chilli, adding as many seeds as you fancy. Let your chicken sit in this for as long as you can. Then ether grill the breast or for the best results, use a grill pan to get those nice juicy burn lines on the chicken. We tend to have these on bread rolls, but I guess you could do plenty of other things with em.

In general it goes well with tomatoes, peppers, eggs and most meats. You can eat them raw too

Oh and just remember; wash your hands well after you handle the insides

[Two_Sheds]

We love chilli, I add it to most dishes ! Just a touch in Spag Bol, a bit more in Chilli Sin Carne or Fajitas. Chuck some in soup to zizz it up too.

1) use rubber gloves to cut your chilli, or else you WILL end up picking your nose and burning it

2) have some milk-based stuff on hand if your chilli hurts your mouth ... water or alcohol will only make it hotter. Yogurt is the classic "cooler"

[Flummery]

I add chillies to just about eveything (except puddings!) at this time of year. Start with a small one with the seeds removed, then work up if you like it and could stand it hotter.

Any soup can have chilli added so that would be a good starter.

If you like prawns try chilli and garlic prawns as a starter. I would chop up a small chilli or half a big'un, crush some garlic and fry them very gently in a little oil. Then add uncooked (grey looking) large prawns. Just toss till they are thoroughly pink. Gorgeous on brown toast or with salad.

[Peebels]

Wow, that got my mouth watering flummery, and i dont even like prawns!

Cant beat chilli though!

[Hilary B]

I have used fresh chillis (from the supermarket) to make Chilli Con Carne. The pack holds 150g (I think) and I use about half of the pack to replace a heaped teaspoon of hot chilli powder. I remove MOST of the seeds, and chop the chillies, adding the results with the garlic and/or onion. Have to say heat of resulting chilli is very unpredictable (but it suits me). I keep a bottle of tabasco for 'fortifying' too-mild chilli recipes. You can't take it out! On the whole the smaller the individual chilli, the hotter the same amount so 2 small chillies are hotter than one twice the size (but not as hot as 2 twice the size). Different shaped chillies have different heat levels too, but I always seem to get the long-for-width types.

[wiccanlou]

Just a small tip from me, get some latex gloves!! If you aren't used to preparing chillies then you'll need them cause even though you have washed your hands the oil can get under you fingernails and when you rub your eyes it hurts loads

[Hilary B]

Just a small tip from me, get some latex gloves!! If you aren't used to preparing chillies then you'll need them cause even though you have washed your hands the oil can get under you fingernails and when you rub your eyes it hurts loads

Oh yes!
It gets into the skin, you can wash 3 times and STILL have the essence on your hands (note, men find this especially troublesome for reasons I won't explain).

[Two_Sheds]

Just a small tip from me, get some latex gloves!!

or just hold the stalk while you cut the chilli with scissors. Then you don't have to touch the chilli at all