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I don’t know about you, but I always get intimidated when I experiment with strong flavors in the kitchen - like the bitterness of oregano,
the stink of hing and the strong heat of chilli peppers.
It is through experience that I have made peace with these
flavors. I just need to realize that if I use them for my daily cooking I need
to use them at 10% of the spice blend. Following the simple formula of making
strong flavors only 10% of the blend, you will be successful in your
cooking.
I realized that often these strong flavours have healing properties.
Used medicinally the percentage increases, along with the frequency of taking
them, during the day. For example, by combining equal parts of ginger, black
pepper, and pipali, you end up with a remedy called trikatu in Ayurveda. This is a strong medicine to increase the
digestive fire, and to reduce any kapha aggravations-- like mucus in the lungs
and stagnation in the digestion fire.
Chili peppers had never been my favourite in my cooking.
First, because I am a pitta
constitution, and, second, I didn’t follow the formula of the 10% rule. However.
I must tell you that the hundreds of kinds of peppers can supply to you a
variety of flavours, color, heat, and even sweetness in your food. The
interesting part of the peppers is not only of the different uses in the
kitchen, and the flavours they supply to you, but also the medicinal properties
they carry.
Medicinal properties of
chilies.
Yogis and Mexican cultures have been using them for hundreds
of years in health, rituals, and of course flavouring the daily cooking. The
heat of the chili pepper is caused by a substance called capsaicin. This
substance is indestructible: neither cold or heat, nor water, nor fire can
incinerate the heat caused by capsaicin. Even when you work with chili, capsaicin
stays in the cooking tools and can easily travel to the eyes and other tender
membranes. It is this same substance that has been proven in many labs,
universities, and health study groups around the world to alleviate nerve pain,
arthritis, neck pains, headaches, obesity, increase metabolism, improve
cholesterol, prevent blood clots, reduce heart rate, prevent arthritis, and
reduce damage after heart attacks. This same substance is now in the sight of
researchers in medical centers to be used as a preventative to prostate cancer,
as well as breast cancer. For example, researchers at CME Medical centre in LA,
found that capsaicin kills 80% of cancer cells in test animals medically induced
with prostate cancer—also remaining tumors were about 1/5th the size
of those untreated mice. Capsaicin has also been used in treating psoriasis.
Several studies have found that capsaicin cream can help reduce the itching and
redness of psoriasis and chronic skin conditions. The American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition reported that the amount of insulin required to lower blood
sugar after a meal was lower in people after eating chilies than those not. This
brings hope in treating Type Two Diabetes.
Chilies have a bad reputation that they may cause ulcers and
stomach burns, but studies have proven otherwise. They cause neither ulcers nor
hemorrhoids, and guess what? Some investigations have used chilies to actually
prevent them.
Selecting your chilies.
When I start working with chilies I found in the market quite
a variety, and I didn’t know what species was the one to accommodate my
delicate taste, as well as giving me the flavour I was looking for. No wonder I
was confused! There are three thousand varieties of chilies in the world. It is
hard to imagine Indian cuisine without chilies, and it is commonly imagined
that they originate there. Chilies, however come from the Americas. Christopher
Columbus discovered them, or revived them, and brought them to Europe--
similarly reviving them in the orient. He never imagined that his search for
black pepper, which the Arabs had been keeping secret from the Europeans for
centuries, was leading him to bring to Spain the red hot chili peppers of the
Americas. By the 17th century chilies were known about the globe,
and today many cultural cuisines enjoy the benefits of chili pepper.
If your intention is to experiment with chili pepper, there is
one common rule: the smaller and redder the chili, the hotter it is. What I
suggest is to explore in a Mexican store, which for me is the best culture to
have the refine palates to combine in cooking recipes the favourite taste of
chilies. Some chilies are roasted, giving a Smokey flavour called chipotles. Others come dried, which are
wonderful to be used in soups and stews, they are call anchos. I suggest, however, to clean the seeds. Seeds usually give
the hot taste. You can also find chili paste and sweet chilies which add an
expansive taste in your palette.
Combining chilies with
other spices.
Chilies combine wonderfully with a variety of food—like rice,
beans, and grains-- as well, in small salsas that can be severe with flat
dishes such as rice, yuka or potatos. It is better to buy chilies when they
still have their membranes around. You can chose fresh, whole, dried, crushed,
canned, or jarred, and if you can find them, pickled. It is all a matter of
experimenting and inquiring at your local market, what is the best suited for
your cooking experience.
If you are cooking with chilies, they prepare very well with
allspice, garlic, ginger, coconut, cardamom, tumeric, armchur, galangal,
pumpkin seeds, and fenugreek seeds. I also have found that the flavour is quite
different between the dried and fresh chili. The heat may be the same, but that
soft sweetness gets lost in the dry chilies. I also like to sweeten the
chilies, either by adding two or three spoonfuls of sugar to the dish, the
chili develops a more complex and satisfying flavour.
Tip to keep your
chilies fresh.
You can keep fresh chilies refrigerated for about two weeks.
Just wrap them in paper towel or put them in a plastic bag and leave them
partially open. Fresh chilies also freeze well in a freezer bag.
Cayenne powder is pure chili, ground from the long red cayenne
chill. It is also very hot, and can easily be found in the super market. Ground
ancho chili powder is usually milder than cayenne, and is usually more popular
in Mexican cooking.
Using chilies as a
medicine
When you use chili for medical purposes, you can prepare
capsules and can establish a frequency of taking them two or three times a day
depending on the health condition.
I suggest to take chilies as a medicine for a couple days
(three to ten) for different pain related disorders. Or, to treat something specific
like asthma, sore throat, and tooth ache. You can take smaller doses every day
for longer periods for arthritis or more degenerative illnesses. You can also
find in the market: capsaicin creams or balms, that can be easily applied for sore
muscles and localized pain. You can also use capsules of chili for
inflammation, to strengthen the cardiovascular system, to reduce cholesterol,
and to strengthen your gastral-intestinal system. You can also use chilies for
thermal regulation and to give luster to your skin. Many cosmetic companies
know this secret and use it in their products.
Toxicity
In terms of toxicity, the acute toxicity for a 70 kg person
would be 13g of capsaicin—very high for the quantity require to be taken in one
meal. A person of 70KG would have to consume nearly 3lbs of tobasco sauce to
overdose himself and become unconscious. You may, however, experience burning
and sometimes blistering on tongue if you are not used to it.
Spice blend with
chilies
Here is a lovely spice recipe you can store in your kitchen
given by the Tunisian cuisine. It is commonly used in stews and stuffing, and
you can lightly sprinkle it on your food before serving.
Ingredients:
½ cup coriander seeds
2 tbls caraway seeds
1 tbl chili peppers
1tsp garlic powder
* place the coriander and caraway seed in a spice grinder,
ground until smooth.
Add the chili powder and garlic powder.
Mix well
Keep in an air tight glass jar
It can keep for 6 months
Makes ½ cup.
The combination in Tunisia is called tabile. Its hot fiery
flavour moves you to another relationship with chili peppers.
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