Why not chop the chilies?

[WorkingTourist]

I’ve noticed that some dishes can have entire chilies, often soups and curries.

This means the chilies don’t add any real spiciness to the dish, but if you eat one of the chilies, then you’re in for a mouthful of chili seeds, which are generally quite spicy.

Can someone shine a light on this preference?

Is it perhaps that their tastebuds can take the spiciness of the full chili and thus they prefer the taste of the cooked (full) chili over having it chopped up? Similar to how I wouldn’t chop other bite sized ingredients.

Edited March 6, 2015 by WorkingTourist

[AyG]

Chillies have both heat and aromatic elements. (Personally, some chillies remind me of pineapple.) By leaving the chilli whole you get the aromatic elements without too much heat. If you chopped the chill there's be too much heat for the balance of the dish.

You're not expected to eat the whole chilli, unless you have masochistic tendencies or an asbestos-coated tongue.

[xen]

It also means you can pick out the whole chillies so the heat is to your taste .

[96tehtarp]

Not all of the small chilies are extremely hot, (at least to a Thai taste). Often I see semi-hot sweet chilies sliced in half lengthwise in soups and curries. When eaten with a mouthful of curry they give an explosion of chili flavour which is not at all unsavory. Sometimes they are put in the curry for purely visual effect.

[slipperylobster]

You can slice them open, lengthwise, and scrape the seeds out. This will mellow out the heat, and still add flavor. No problem chewing them up.

[Gonsalviz]

You can slice them open, lengthwise, and scrape the seeds out. This will mellow out the heat, and still add flavor. No problem chewing them up.

Don't forget to scrape out as much of the pith that the seeds are attached to. That is fiery too. The red outer cover is fine, for me.

[arrowsdawdle]

You can slice them open, lengthwise, and scrape the seeds out. This will mellow out the heat, and still add flavor. No problem chewing them up.

Don't forget to scrape out as much of the pith that the seeds are attached to. That is fiery too. The red outer cover is fine, for me.

If you folks don't like chiles you should've gone instead to Engbland. Chiles are great and the reason they don't chop them is work ethic, or rather a lack of it, which might also fall under the heading of laziness.

[arrowsdawdle]

Actually a correction is in order because cooks often throw a batch of red chiles into a food processor and dice them up seeds and all for adding to somtam.

[Shiver]

I assumed that it was so that people could choose if they want the heat or not.

Coming from England, spice to me was a challenge at first, but eventually I could eat them whole and actually enjoy it (Thais are usually entertained watching a foreigner eating them without issue). I've also seen in Thais who would eat spicy but go to another country for about 6 months and lose the ability, but then re-learn it upon their return.

[topt]

Actually a correction is in order because cooks often throw a batch of red chiles into a food processor and dice them up seeds and all for adding to somtam.

Maybe chefs in a 5 star restaurant.

However I believe most people make somtam in Thailand by bashing them using a pestle and mortar type appliance

[Docno]

You can slice them open, lengthwise, and scrape the seeds out. This will mellow out the heat, and still add flavor. No problem chewing them up.

Don't forget to scrape out as much of the pith that the seeds are attached to. That is fiery too. The red outer cover is fine, for me.

If you folks don't like chiles you should've gone instead to Engbland. Chiles are great and the reason they don't chop them is work ethic, or rather a lack of it, which might also fall under the heading of laziness.

Baloney. My gf's just spent the last 20-30 minutes hand-grinding various things together with a mortar and pestle. And that's just one part of the process. And yes, she will sometimes include whole chilies in a soup (in addition to chopped ones) to add further flavour without the heat. No-one's expected to eat them ... I sometimes try to sneak one on to her spoon only to get back a 'farang bah'.

But of course, you probably get your spaghetti sauce from the bottle....

[WitawatWatawit]

I know Confuscius didn't say this, but what the helle: Man who chop chilli should beware groin itch.

I find scrapping chillies of seed and pith and then cooking whole in a stew works very well to impart flavour without suffocating heat. I usually give the prepared chillies a bit of squashing first, though - the amount I use in a 2-litre pot of not too spicy stew is about five small green ones.

[dao16]

It depends on the dish and the cook. I literally just polished off a rice dish with sliced chilis, but the same lady ill use whole ones for other dishes (like curries and things). With a little questioning, I am sure you could ask them to slice them if you like. I still find that the whole ones add to the flavor, though.

[Daniel Ingalls]

Most chef's prefer to use the Molar and pedestal when crushing Hot peppers. They say it

brings out more of the oils in the pepper and makes it a bit hotter.

[bluebluewater]

One poster above has it right. Laziness is the primary answer.

Same with the small reddish garlic that they often just toss into the pot without peeling away the skin.

This is not a nation that is know for taking pride in their work. Whatever is slipshod and second rate is often just fine, thank you.

[AyG]

One poster above has it right. Laziness is the primary answer.

Same with the small reddish garlic that they often just toss into the pot without peeling away the skin.

This is not a nation that is know for taking pride in their work. Whatever is slipshod and second rate is often just fine, thank you.

Utter bilge. Thai people take great interest in their food and care tremendously about the balance of tastes. Different treatments of chillies are to bring out different tastes. And the reason that garlic is often not peeled is because the skin contains certain aromatic oils which enhance the flavour of the dish.

[realenglish1]

Actually I like to eat the chillies in the food I love the burn. Food that does not fight back is food for someone without a soul

[slipperylobster]

Weather forecast for Chiang Mai, according to the Mexican weather report back in the usa,

Chili today and Hot ..tamale

[Altalake]

All good info' Chaps (or Gals).

One can get chillies (or even grow them) here in Canada - but it is not quite the same.............

[CapeThai]

You can slice them open, lengthwise, and scrape the seeds out. This will mellow out the heat, and still add flavor. No problem chewing them up.

Don't forget to scrape out as much of the pith that the seeds are attached to. That is fiery too. The red outer cover is fine, for me.

If you folks don't like chiles you should've gone instead to Engbland. Chiles are great and the reason they don't chop them is work ethic, or rather a lack of it, which might also fall under the heading of laziness.

Oh my God, and there just for one moment I thought to have seen it all here on TV but how wrong I have

been....

Bashing Thais for not cutting up their chillies and classifying this as lazyness....

At least these people have some great traditional cooking skills... Unlike your pork bangers, fish & chips, beans and the pizza outlet back home and then you have the nerve to talk about cooking ethic...

Oh and the disgusting so called Black Pudding... Dog food

Edited March 13, 2015 by CapeThai

[CapeThai]

All good info' Chaps (or Gals).

One can get chillies (or even grow them) here in Canada - but it is not quite the same.............

Wow...really ?

[kinmaew]

I am not sure but I may have lost my taste buds. When I make a Thai red curry, I put in no less than 15 whole chillies (Dish lasts two days and I do let it simmer for a good hour to let the full flavour set in), sometimes I seed them other times don't bother, and then cut the ends off. I find this spicy but definitely palatable and do not need a long excruciating time to finish a meal. I think its best to be "Honest" and chop up the chilli, probably better to seed it, of course then wash it and you have true taste rather than "Surprises" if you happen to bite into one of the whole chillies. In any case, I think life is not worth living without chillies, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, co-co nut milk, rice, beer and a damn good screw.

Edited March 14, 2015 by kinmaew

[KarenBravo]

The chilli. A weird irony.

Chilli plants produce the chemical Capsaicin, which is what makes them hot, to discourage any mammal eating it.

With it's bright red colour, it's intended recipient is birds. Birds can't taste Capsaicin and eventually poop out the seeds at a greater distance from the original plant than mammals could do.

Yet, because of one mammal's predilection for oral pain, the chilli plant is now far more successful and more widely spread than if this mammal didn't intervene.

Three hundred years ago, there were no chillis in Thailand. The Thais used peppercorns to add heat (prik Thai).

It was introduced by farang. Portuguese missionaries in the late 1600's to be precise. They brought the plant from South America where it is native and where they developed a taste for them.

Okay.......back on topic.

[AyG]

It was introduced by farang. Portuguese missionaries in the late 1600's to be precise. They brought the plant from South America where it is native and where they developed a taste for them.

Unfortunately, AFAIK there are no surviving documents which show when the chilli arrived in Thailand or who introduced it. However, I suspect the date of introduction was earlier than the late 1600s.

We know that the first chilli plants were brought to the West in 1498. We know that over the next 50 years it spread along the Silk Road, and with Portuguese conquests (India, China) finally reaching Japan in 1549.

We also know that there were Portuguese traders in Ayutthaya from 1511 (i.e. after the chilli had already been introduced to the West). The first Portuguese missionaries to Ayutthaya weren't until 1567.

So, there are a number of possibilities:

- Introduction by the Portuguese. Possibly by diplomats. (A chilli plant, fairly recently introduced to Portugal from the Americas might make a good diplomatic gift.) Possibly by traders (though they'd be more likely to want to sell the dried chillies, rather than provide the Siamese with the ability to grow their own). Missionaries is an unlikely option.

- Introduction by another trading country. Spain, the Netherlands are both possibilities. Japan is perhaps a less likely option.

- Introduction overland from India. This is how the pepper vine was introduced to Thailand. Overland from China is also possible, but seems less likely.

What seems almost certain, though, is that the chilli was introduced much earlier than the late 1600s. It was probably here a century earlier than that.

[KarenBravo]

Found this:-

"There is a verifiable correlation between the chili pepper geographical dissemination and consumption in Asia and the presence of Portuguese traders, India and southeast Asia being obvious examples".

They had to come from either the Spanish, or, Portuguese as they were the only nationalities in both South America and Asia.

It makes sense to believe they were brought by sea as both nationalities were the pre-eminent sea powers at the time.

Anyway, thought I'd disseminate an interesting fact, not start a pedantic discussion.

Edited March 14, 2015 by KarenBravo