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Re: Spicy Stuff Recipe
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 7:15 pm
by DinkyInky
Dave wrote:I picked up a bottle of Melinda's Naga Jolokia sauce from World Market last night, on the way home from getting takeout at Tommy Thai, as I'd pretty much run out of hot sauce in the house (and I order the Thai stuff "mild" so my wife can eat it).
Given all I'd heard about the Naga Jolokia / Ghost pepper, I was apprehensive about trying this. I didn't want to spend the evening crying, coughing, drinking yogurt and drooling it out again, etc. like the guy in the Ghost Pepper Challenge YouTube video did.
After one meal with the stuff: not bad at all. I put a few drops on the plate and dipped individual pieces of food into it, getting a half-drop to a single drop worth on (e.g.) a mushroom. The Melinda's has a definite flavor, thanks to the papaya and carrot and passionfruit... they describe it as a Carribean-tropical. Some people reportedly find it bitter but I didn't have that particular sensation - maybe there's batch-to-batch variation, maybe some people have taster genes I don't. At this level of use it's not all that hot (by my standards, not those of a normal and sane person). The ingredients list puts the Naga Jolokia peppers first (which should mean that they're the most prevalent ingredient by weight) but it wasn't overwhelming.
Once I felt safe with it, I added it more liberally to the sauces of the Thai and Cambodian curries. It added a nice kick, both immediately and thereafter... my mouth and lips were glowing happily for 10-15 minutes after I finished eating.
No unpleasant aftereffects this morning. I'll definitely be using more of this in the weeks to come. I will not be offering any to my wife.
I did see a couple of Scorpion Pepper sauces on the shelf at World Market, and passed 'em up for now. One of them was a Dave's brand, and I'm not fond of Dave's since they use a lot of pepper extract rather than whole peppers - the result is hotter but I think they taste "burnt".
(Side note: Tommy Thai makes the best Tom Kha soup we've ever had. They have Cambodian specialties, of which my favorite is Salaw Machou Ktis - "Cambodian stew with coconut milk, fresh pineapple, baby corn, mushroom, lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaf and Ma-om". I order it made with rock cod; it's absolutely to die for.)
Thank you Dave! I know where I'm getting my next hotsauce fix...
Re: Spicy Stuff Recipe
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 9:31 pm
by AnotherFairportfan
I may have to look into that, too.
Re: Spicy Stuff Recipe
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 10:13 pm
by ShneekeyTheLost
Sadly, my doc made me swear off the spicy stuff. However, there's a lot of rumor and misconception about 'Ghost Peppers'.
First off, what actually constitutes a real 'Ghost Pepper' is given a LOT of leeway, very often you'll see a product labeled as containing 'Ghost Peppers' when, in fact, they do not contain bhut jolokia. Many times, you'll see 'ghost pepper' on the label, only to find that it is the least ingredient, despite being labeled first, as a misrepresentation form of advertising. It is often used more in advertising than in actual product content. And really, for the vast majority of the population, it's probably just as well. Few could really handle the real thing, as some rather unfortunate and highly popularized videos have shown.
Capping out at around a million on the Scoville scale, it's definitely nothing to take lightly, but in moderation (drops at a time), can provide a very sweet heat, not unlike a Scotch Bonnet. Gives certain types of Chutney a real kick.
Freebirds, a burrito chain found in some areas, has a sauce called 'Death Sauce' that is pretty honest with how little actual ghost pepper goes into it, and blends in other peppers as well. It's one of the few 'hot sauces' around which is actually tasty as well as extremely hot, unlike typical 'hot sauces' which are typically hot and very vinegary. As a listed rating of 600k scovilles, it's definitely sure to spice up your meal! They also have a tortilla which is impregnated with cayenne, for those who can still appreciate it.
Re: Spicy Stuff Recipe
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 10:17 pm
by DinkyInky
ShneekeyTheLost wrote:Freebirds, a burrito chain found in some areas, has a sauce called 'Death Sauce' that is pretty honest with how little actual ghost pepper goes into it, and blends in other peppers as well. It's one of the few 'hot sauces' around which is actually tasty as well as extremely hot, unlike typical 'hot sauces' which are typically hot and very vinegary. As a listed rating of 600k scovilles, it's definitely sure to spice up your meal! They also have a tortilla which is impregnated with cayenne, for those who can still appreciate it.
Yeah, and that was probably one of the best birthday gifts ever that did not come from my child. Shame they quit selling it.
Re: Spicy Stuff Recipe
Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 6:33 pm
by Warrl
DinkyInky wrote:ShneekeyTheLost wrote:Freebirds, a burrito chain found in some areas, has a sauce called 'Death Sauce' that is pretty honest with how little actual ghost pepper goes into it, and blends in other peppers as well. It's one of the few 'hot sauces' around which is actually tasty as well as extremely hot, unlike typical 'hot sauces' which are typically hot and very vinegary. As a listed rating of 600k scovilles, it's definitely sure to spice up your meal! They also have a tortilla which is impregnated with cayenne, for those who can still appreciate it.
Yeah, and that was probably one of the best birthday gifts ever that did not come from my child. Shame they quit selling it.
Are you sure the Death Sauce was
theirs?
Because it appears to be the beginning of
a whole line of products...
Re: Spicy Stuff Recipe
Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 6:50 pm
by AnotherFairportfan
Warrl wrote:DinkyInky wrote:ShneekeyTheLost wrote:Freebirds, a burrito chain found in some areas, has a sauce called 'Death Sauce' that is pretty honest with how little actual ghost pepper goes into it, and blends in other peppers as well. It's one of the few 'hot sauces' around which is actually tasty as well as extremely hot, unlike typical 'hot sauces' which are typically hot and very vinegary. As a listed rating of 600k scovilles, it's definitely sure to spice up your meal! They also have a tortilla which is impregnated with cayenne, for those who can still appreciate it.
Yeah, and that was probably one of the best birthday gifts ever that did not come from my child. Shame they quit selling it.
Are you sure the Death Sauce was
theirs?
Because it appears to be the beginning of
a whole line of products...
There used to be a chain of Mexican restautant's called "Chico's". It's sadly deceased, but the line of products the name was licensed to lives on.
Re: Spicy Stuff Recipe
Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 11:09 pm
by ShneekeyTheLost
Warrl wrote:DinkyInky wrote:ShneekeyTheLost wrote:Freebirds, a burrito chain found in some areas, has a sauce called 'Death Sauce' that is pretty honest with how little actual ghost pepper goes into it, and blends in other peppers as well. It's one of the few 'hot sauces' around which is actually tasty as well as extremely hot, unlike typical 'hot sauces' which are typically hot and very vinegary. As a listed rating of 600k scovilles, it's definitely sure to spice up your meal! They also have a tortilla which is impregnated with cayenne, for those who can still appreciate it.
Yeah, and that was probably one of the best birthday gifts ever that did not come from my child. Shame they quit selling it.
Are you sure the Death Sauce was
theirs?
Because it appears to be the beginning of
a whole line of products...
Positive. They make theirs in-house. Not surprised someone else came up with the idea of calling a hot sauce 'Death Sauce'
Re: Spicy Stuff Recipe
Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 2:06 am
by DinkyInky
Warrl wrote:DinkyInky wrote:ShneekeyTheLost wrote:Freebirds, a burrito chain found in some areas, has a sauce called 'Death Sauce' that is pretty honest with how little actual ghost pepper goes into it, and blends in other peppers as well. It's one of the few 'hot sauces' around which is actually tasty as well as extremely hot, unlike typical 'hot sauces' which are typically hot and very vinegary. As a listed rating of 600k scovilles, it's definitely sure to spice up your meal! They also have a tortilla which is impregnated with cayenne, for those who can still appreciate it.
Yeah, and that was probably one of the best birthday gifts ever that did not come from my child. Shame they quit selling it.
Are you sure the Death Sauce was
theirs?
Because it appears to be the beginning of
a whole line of products...
Having eaten both, I prefer Freebirds tasty sneaky heat to Blair's all heat and vinegar and no substance.
The main reason I love it so much is when visiting Texas the first time, I asked my friends for the "Tex-Mex & Tourist" fest.
When told I was a "Heat freak", one of the managers at Freebirds asked me what I like/dislike about spicy foods, and custom created a Super Monster on a Cayenne tortilla, with Death Sauce and Habanero sauce with my choice of fillings, and mixed everything to perfection. Tasty heat, no annoying vinegry aftertaste. Bite after decadently spicy bite.
It became a table staple of mine until they quit selling it. That's when I tried Blair's. Blech. No contest. Freebirds or bust.
Re: Spicy Stuff Recipe
Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 1:10 pm
by Catawampus
DinkyInky wrote:Tasty heat, no annoying vinegry aftertaste.
Whereas I enjoy the taste of vinegar, and am rather indifferent about spiciness. I suppose that we could send each other our rejected hot sauces.
Re: Spicy Stuff Recipe
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 11:09 am
by DinkyInky
Catawampus wrote:DinkyInky wrote:Tasty heat, no annoying vinegry aftertaste.
Whereas I enjoy the taste of vinegar, and am rather indifferent about spiciness. I suppose that we could send each other our rejected hot sauces.
I'm picky. Must be more than just jar shattering heat. I like a blend of herbs and spices with the heat.
Re: Spicy Stuff Recipe
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 7:54 pm
by Catawampus
DinkyInky wrote:I'm picky.
I've gathered that.
Re: Spicy Stuff Recipe
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 6:34 pm
by Dave
Aha! This explains much!
In the "super-hot" chile varieties, the glands (vesicles) which create and hold the capsaicinoids are
not restricted to the placenta around the seeds, as in the case of Peppers Of Lesser Hotness. Rather,
they're also present on the inner walls of the pepper. Lots more surface area, more vesicles, more heat.