1,001 Best Hot and Spicy Recipes (19 page)

 

12 bird’s eye chiles (chiltepins or piquins), crushed
3 tablespoons (45 mL) freshly ground ginger root
3 tablespoons (45 mL) freshly ground garlic
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
¼ cup (59 mL) tomato paste
1 cup (236 mL) distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons (10 mL) salt
1 cup (236 mL) water
1 tablespoon (15 mL) chopped fresh thyme

 

1.
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool, and purée in a blender.

2.
Transfer the sauce to a small jar. It keeps for up to a year in the refrigerator.

Yield: About 1 cup (236 mL)

Heat Scale: Medium

 

4 fresh pili pili chiles or red jalapeños, stems and seeds removed
¼ teaspoon (1.25 mL) coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon (1.25 mL) cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon (5 mL) cumin seeds
1 teaspoon (5 mL) black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) salt
Juice of 1 Ukwaju Kenyan lemon or 1 lime

 

1.
Combine the chiles, spices, and salt in a mortar and pound to a thick paste. Transfer to a jar and add the lemon or lime juice and enough water to make the mixture easily pourable. Shake well and set aside for a few hours to let the flavors marry.

Yield: About 2 cups (473 mL)

Heat Scale: Medium

 

½ pound (224 g) dried fish, such as salt cod, coarsely chopped
4½ cups (1 L) water, divided
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons (10 mL) peanut oil
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon (5 mL) curry powder, or to taste
2 teaspoons (10 mL) ground cayenne
1 cup (236 mL) peanut butter
Salt, to taste

 

1.
Soak the dried fish in 2 cups (473 mL) of the water until it softens. Drain and pat dry.

2.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and fry until brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add the fish, curry, cayenne, remaining water, peanut butter, and salt. Simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency.

Yield: ½ cup (118 mL)

Heat Scale: Extremely Hot

Few people have ever heard of the Mascarenes, and these islands are more known by their individual names: Réunion, Mauritius, and Ródrigues. They are a
departement
of France and lie hundred of miles east of Madagascar, hundreds of miles away from each other. Although they vary greatly in geography, culture, and religion, they have one great thing in common: a love of chile peppers. On all three islands, chiles of every size and heat level are lovingly grown and added to cuisines that can generically be called Creole. Rebecca Chastenet de Gry, one of my writers, collected this recipe for me on Réunion Island. She wrote, “Alter the heat in this extremely hot salsa by changing the chiles used. Traditionally the smaller piquin or bird’s eye chiles are the types preferred, but milder ones, such as red serranos, can be used.” Serve it—easy does it—over clams, other shellfish, or grilled fish fillets.

 

½ cup (118 mL) small fresh hot red chiles, such as piquin, stems and seeds removed
1½ teaspoons (7.5 mL) salt
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon (15 mL) chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons (30 mL) sliced ginger
¼ cup (59 mL) vegetable oil
3 tablespoons (45 mL) distilled white vinegar

 

1.
Place the chiles, salt, garlic, and cilantro in a blender and process until the mixture is combined but still chunky.

2.
Combine the chile mixture with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Allow the salsa to sit for a couple of hours to blend the flavors.

Yield: 1¼ cups

Heat Scale: Hot

 

⅓ cup (79 mL) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon (5 mL) sliced garlic
½ cup (118 mL) fresh red chiles (preferably pili-pili or bird’s eye peppers)
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) salt
1 lemon, peeled

 

1.
Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the garlic and chile peppers. Sauté for 15 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Remove the pan from heat. Combine the garlic and peppers with the salt and the lemon in a blender and puree.

Yield: 6 cups (1.4 L)

Heat Scale: Hot

 

6 cups (1.4 L) water
10 lemons, peeled, thickly sliced, seeds removed (or substitute limes for a different color)
8 to 10 red jalapeños, stems and seeds removed, halved
¼ cup (59 mL) vegetable oil

 

1.
Place the water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the lemon slices and boil for 20 minutes. Strain, reserving the water.

2.
Place the jalapeños in a blender and add the oil. Purée to a thick paste. Add the lemon slices, a few at a time, along with 3 cups (708 mL) of the reserved water, ½ cup (118 mL) at a time. (You may have to do this in batches if you don’t have a large blender.) Purée to a thick sauce. Pour into bottles and label.

Yield: About 3 cups (708 mL)

Heat Scale: Hot

 

1 pound (454 g) fresh green chiles, such as serranos or jalapeños, stems and seeds removed
4 small potatoes, peeled and boiled until tender
½ cup (118 mL) distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt

 

1.
Combine all the ingredients in batches in a blender and process to a fine purée, adding water as needed to achieve the desired consistency.

Yield: 3-4 cups (708 mL-.95 L)

Heat Scale: Hot

 

1 pound (454 g) fresh red serrano, cayenne, Thai, or chile de arbol chiles, stems removed
2½ cups (591 mL) rice vinegar (or substitute distilled white vinegar)
¼ cup (59 mL) sugar
1 tablespoon (15 mL) salt

 

1.
Place the chiles and vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the sugar and salt, and stir until dissolved. Place the saucepan contents in a food processor or blender and purée to a smooth, thinpaste consistency. Add additional rice vinegar if the mixture is too thick. Allow the mixture to steep for several hours, transfer it to glass containers, and refrigerate. The consistency should be slightly thinner than catsup. Or, strain the sauce through a sieve and discard the solids for a smooth, seedless consistency.

Yield: ¾ cup (177 mL)

Heat Scale: Medium

 

2 cups (473 mL) fermented dried fish or anchovies
½ cup (118 mL) water
¼ cup (59 mL) shrimp powder (available in Asian markets)
1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground cayenne
2 tablespoons (30 mL) lime juice
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

 

1.
In a saucepan, bring the fish and water to a boil. Reduce the heat, simmer for 5 minutes, and mash the fish. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.

Yield: About 3 cups (708 mL)

Heat Scale: Mild

This recipe is from Richard Sterling, author of
Dining with Headhunters
, who commented: “Side dishes, tidbits, and condiments are common on the Burmese table, regardless of the meal’s abundance or complexity. And for simple meals, as the riverboat’s cook demonstrated, a little bit of strongly-flavored accompaniment can go a long way to stretch a bowl of plain rice. This fits the bill.”

 

1 red chile, such as serrano, stem removed, chopped
2 teaspoons (10 mL) salt
1 teaspoon (5 mL) dried shrimp paste (or Malayan blacan)
½ cup (118 mL) distilled white vinegar
20 cloves garlic
2 cups (473 mL) peanut oil
4 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
8 ounces (224 g) coarse shrimp powder (dried shrimp coarsely ground in a mortar)

 

1.
Combine the chile, salt, shrimp paste, and vinegar and set aside.

2.
Place the garlic cloves on a cutting board and strike them firmly with the flat side of a knife blade to loosen their skins. Peel and slice the cloves.

3.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the onion and garlic separately, for about 10 minutes each, then remove each with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Pour off all but 1 cup (236 mL) of the oil. Add the shrimp powder and fry for 5 minutes. Return the onion and garlic mixture and stir-fry until crisp. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

4.
Combine the two mixtures and serve over rice.

Yield: ½ cup (118 mL)

Heat Scale: Medium

 

2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
3 fresh, small Thai chiles (or substitute fresh chiltepins or piquins), stems
removed, minced with the seeds
4 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup (59 mL) prepared fish sauce
2 cilantro leaves, chopped

 

1.
Combine all the ingredients. Use immediately. Seal and refrigerate any remaining sauce.

Yield: ½ cup (118 mL)

Heat Scale: Hot

 

8 to 10 fresh serrano or jalapeño chiles, stems and seeds removed, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 green onions, white parts only, or shallots, chopped
4 hard-boiled egg yolks
1 tablespoon (15 mL) prepared fish sauce
2 teaspoons (10 mL) sugar
3 tablespoons (45 mL) lime juice

 

1.
Place all the ingredients in a blender and purée to a smooth sauce. Add more lime juice if necessary.

Yield: ½cup (118 mL)

Heat Scale: Medium

 

1 or 2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 fresh red chile, such as serrano or jalapeño, stem and seeds removed
2 teaspoons (10 mL) sugar
¼ fresh lime
2 tablespoons (30 mL) prepared nam pla fish sauce
2½ tablespoons (37.5 mL) water

 

1.
With a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, chile, and sugar into a paste. Squeeze the lime juice in. With a paring knife, remove the pulp from the lime and pound it into the paste. Add the water and fish sauce and mix well.