Drowning everything in chilli sauce is sometimes, I feel, a little bit insulting to the cook, as it can drown out the other flavours and ruin a dish. However, I've kind of got used to it.. perhaps the hubby's taste buds have been dulled by years of smoking... I do agree that a little dip of it can really lift a dish, it works very well with oriental flavours like the twice cooked melting pork I made the other weekend, garnished with slices of raw red chilli and spring onions; it also works really well with cabbage, I've discovered.
I like Blue dragon sweet chilli sauce, it comes in mild, original and hot strengths. Also Riverford the vegbox people do a lovely organic one. There's a company called Jules & Sharpie who make a hot pepper jelly, again in various strengths, and we bought it online in little plastic buckets!
The husband's favourite for quite some time though is the Flying Goose Brand from Sriracha - imported from Thailand and available in Asda, though only the one with the green lid. The ones with the yellow and purple lids (see below) is the extra garlic versions and are extra delicious, they are available from other supermarkets (and via assorted brothers in law!) and online.
A friend of mine also made her own chilli sauce, which was successful, apart from the part where she tried to remove her contact lenses afterwards! Ouch! You do need to be aware that the juice doesn't wash off with soap and water so the zing will stay on your fingers for a good while afterwards, unless you use an astringent such a witch hazel or cold tea (only just found that out, and I'll be giving it a try soon). I used to put my hand in a plastic bag when I chopped them, but I can't be bothered with that these days.
Fresh chillies are good (green tend to be hotter than red) and there are so many varieties as anyone who has watched "Man vs Food" will know; but chilli flavour can also be added with dried chillies (whole or as flakes) cayenne pepper, etc.
This blog post is not just about chillies, it's about spices and seasonings in general. Over the years I've discovered many wierd and often wonderful things.. on holiday, on the internet (amazon and ebay mostly) and even in the supermarket when I wasn't looking for them. Here is a photo of my spices and seasonings cupboard:
Having a good stock of things makes all the difference when planning meals, knowing you've got a selection of oils, spices and blends means that when you need it, it's there. Of course over time they do lose their pungency, but they don't usually go off (except things with a high oil content like sesame seeds). Mustard powder is a good staple, cumin (seeds and ground), coriander, garam masala, turmeric, star anise, nutmeg, fennel seeds, smoked paprika, cardamom... the list goes on.. On Facebook I once wrote a list of 100 essential storecupboard ingredients. The Old Bay Seasoning on the top shelf is imported from the USA and comes recommended by Nigella Lawson in one of her books in a recipe that I have made for deep fried squid. A quote on their website states that there are two things you need to know about Old Bay Seasoning: 1. it's great on seafood and 2. it's great on everything else!!
Sometimes I grind my own spices after toasting in a pan to make my own curry pastes, sometimes I just mix the powders like an alchemist. Things I use a lot of such as cumin seeds come from Indian supermarkets via friends in a massive pack, and I refill the litle jars as required. You can always adjust the recipe depending on how hot you want it. And the husband can add a generous extra sprinkle of cayenne pepper to his portion...
This afternoon my son and I are on a mission to make shortbread dominoes, we will keep you updated. Two blog posts in one day, that's a first for me.
Thanks for reading,
Caroline :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment