Hot Chili Recipes - Burning Hell of Delight

Then you came to the right place, no matter if you have already joined the army of chili enthusiasts or are just a culinary scout.

Despite being a very strong spice that creates a burning inferno in your mouth (or maybe thanks to that fact), chili is a very popular seasoning in many parts of the world: from America to Asia.

You will find here great chili recipes, a bunch of interesting and useful information about the dreadful chili peppers, some tips about how to extinguish fire caused by the hottest peppers and of course a portion of humor.

So relax and prepare for a voyage through the world of chili, the world of burning sensations, strong aromas, emotions and passion.

How do we measure how hot is chili?

We all know that chili pepper is hot. But how hot is it? Is there any scientific method of determining "hotness" of chili peppers?

The answer is yes, there is! It's called Scoville scale. The Scoville scale is ranging from 0 (no heat at all) to 16,000,000 (pure capsaicin, the gates of hell).

100-500

Pimento found in stuffed olives

2500-8000

Jalapeño, Tabasco sauce

30,000-50,000

Cayenne pepper

50,000-100,000

Bird's Eye chili

100,000-350,000

Habanero chili, Piri Piri

855,000-1,075,000

Naga Jolokia pepper (also used as a weapon)

This version of this delicious dish is only one of many existing, but it's my favourite. I love it for this little oriental twist which makes it special. Of course feel free to make your own modifications

• 400 g minced biff

• 1 onion , chopped

• 2 cloves garlic , chopped

• 0.5 fresh chili , chopped (I like it extra strong, so I add 1 Bird's Eye or Habanero)

• 1 can of hermetic tomatoes

• 1 can of black beans

• 0.5 ts ground cumin

• 0.5 ts ground cinnamon

• 0.25 ts ground coriander seeds

• 0.5 ts salt

Brown minced beef on a prying pan together with onions and garlic on a good heat. Stir with a fork during cooking, so that ground beef is in small chunks when it is cooked through. Pour over the tomatoes, add chopped chili and spices and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Mix in black beans and let it cook for a few minutes. Serve with a salad and bread or rice.

Chili Fiesta

• 1 cup uncooked white rice

• 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded

• 1 cup diced cooked ham

• 1 cup cooked, sliced (thin) sausage

• 2 tbs butter

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 1 cup chopped green pepper

• 1 1/2 ts salt

• 1/2 ts black pepper

• 1/4 ts chili powder or even better a chopped fresh one

• 1/2 ts dried thyme

• 1/2 ts dried parsley

• 2 16oz. cans chopped tomatoes, undrained

• 1 cup chicken broth

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter over medium heat, add the garlic, onions and green pepper. Cook, with stirring, until the onions and peppers are soft. Add the chicken, ham and sausage. Continue to cook with stirring for approximately 5 minutes.

Add the rice, tomatoes, chicken broth, salt, pepper, chili powder (or chopped fresh chili), thyme and parsley to the mixture. Stir until evenly distributed.

Transfer the jambalaya to an oven-proof casserole dish (if you're not using one from the beginning), cover, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes - or until the rice is tender.

• 200g of butter

• 250g sugar

• 200g of dark chocolate

• 5 eggs

• 1 tbs flour

• 1.5 tsp ground chili pepper

• pinch of salt

(About 72 cookies)

Heat your oven to 200°C

Melt the butter with the chocolate in a small saucepan. Transfer into a mixing bowl, add in the sugar, mix them together and let cool a little. Add the eggs one by one, mixing them after each addition. Add tablespoon of flour, chili and salt, and mix well.

Pour the dough in small molds, and put into the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes. The top should look set, but the inside should still be on the soft side.

Let the the cookies cool down a little, unmold them and transfer to a rack to cool completely while you cook the next batch of cookies. Store in refrigerator.

Navajo Chilis

• 5 ounces fresh red Thai chilies, seeded

• 1 medium shallot, peeled

• 5 cloves garlic

• 1/2" piece of ginger, peeled

• 1/4 -- 1/2 cup boiling water

• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

• 1 teaspoon fish sauce

• 2 teaspoons palm sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine chilies, shallots, garlic, and ginger in a food processor or blender and process to a paste. Add boiling water, and process until well mixed, then add remaining ingredients. Let stand at least 1 hour before serving... overnight is better. Store in fridge for up to two weeks.

Poor guy... Note what he is drinking to ease the pain - yeah, drinking fat milk is the best way to extinguish the fire

• 1 2/3 cups milk

• 1/2 vanilla bean

• 1 red chili pepper

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate

(Serves 2)

Split red chili pepper and remove the seeds. Split the vanilla bean, lengthwise. Simmer milk in a saucepan with vanilla bean, cinnamon and chili. Heat through for about a minute. Whisk in grated chocolate, and continue to simmer until melted. Remove from heat and let 'steep' for another 10 minutes. Strain out the spices and serve.

There is so many opinions as many people. Some like it hot, others don't like the pain caused by chili. Which group do you belong to? Now you can join to a fierce and hot debate.

When you think about chili...

Have you tried spicy food? Did you like it? What is your favorite dish? Feeling tempted after reading this lens?