Flavor of hot pepper?

honu · July 13, 2006

What are good ways to bring out and enjoy the FLAVOR and not just the heat of a hot pepper?
Also, which hot peppers do you think are distinguished by great FLAVOR as well as heat (and would you please describe that flavor)?

bbjm · August 22, 2006

I'm going to bump this b/c I had hoped that those in the know would chime in. I have come to enjoy heat, but would like a good flavor too. I'm wanting to make a New Mexico style green chili and am looking for a flavorful pepper that can be used and still grow outside of New Mexico (in Kansas for example). I currently am growing very productive Jalapeno that was billed on the Bonnie label as mild. It tastes like a green bell with no heat at all. I want to do better next year.

Thanks.

username5 · August 23, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by honu

What are good ways to bring out and enjoy the FLAVOR and not just the heat of a hot pepper?

To grow whatever pepper you wish and then tone down the heat to a level that you, personally, find pleasurable rather than distractingly hot.

Once of the tastiest dishes in recent memory was Carribean Jerk chicken. I made the sauce using a single habenero which is far hotter than I, personally, care for.

However, by marinading the chicken in the sauce and then grilling it and serving it on a bed of rice the heat was toned down to manageable levels and the actual taste of the pepper was noticable. It was surprisingly good.

I can't really recomend any pepper as I am not really a chilli head and taste is completely subjective anyway.

Do try different ways of preparing them though. Even a so-so pepper improves when grilled, or at least I think so. Just slice the pepper open and rub a little olive oil on it and toss on the grill.

JabulaZa · August 23, 2006

One of the best tasting peppers to me is a orange habanero, unfortunately it is also a Zinger.
I would love to obtain one with the same great taste but less heat...
A couple of years back I cooked the outsides with a lot of sugar and used the sugary sauce which seemed to be a bit milder but still with the great taste.
We mainly used it in meat dishes (great with chicken) and on cold meats.

Polar_Lace · August 23, 2006

honu wrote:

Quote:

What are good ways to bring out and enjoy the FLAVOR and not just the heat of a hot pepper?

Personally speaking; if you overwater them as they're growing out the heat decreases. Also removing most or all of the seeds tends to cut the heat some. Speaking from experience here.

landarc · August 23, 2006

The way I was taught to use a pepper for the flavor and while reducing the heat, for use in sauces etc...is to use the whole pod, with a small slice or two in the side of the pepper. When cooked in a sauce, some of the heat will come through, but, not nearly as much as cutting the pepper up provides.

The other thing I was taught was to remove the seeds and the white veining on the inside of the pepper. This leaves the milder outside flesh with much less capsicum, as I understand it.

TheDens · August 23, 2006

TGS sells a pepper called Aji Dulce which is supposed to have the flavor of a habenero with a lot less heat. I can't speak for the accuracy of the description, though; I attempted to grow it this year, but my plants have dropped all their blossoms all season.

travis · August 23, 2006

edited to protect the innocent

Grub · August 23, 2006

But what about the most flavourful hot-pepper varieties without too much heat? Of course, in your considered opinion. It's a given that taste is subjective.

I grew and am growing a lot of Habs inc. the orange ones which I am still picking in winter — added one to chilli con carne last night — and they have that good hab flavour which is, to me, charactersitic of the C.Chinense or whatever variety.

Serranos taste really good to me and they are a no-brrainer to grow.

First year growing Rocotos. Can't wait. They sound interesting and tasty.

Glenn 50 · August 24, 2006

Joe E Parker is a semimild pepper with flavour. I like it. One of the Numex varieties...

JabulaZa · August 24, 2006

What I forgot to mention Yesterday is that adding milk, yogurt or cream can also tame the heat.
Once did a mince dish (over pasta), I added and 1 habanero, 500ml cream (can be replaced with yogurt), some tomato puree and other herbs and spices. 500grams mince. Still hot but had somebody eating it that don't like hot stuff at all.
And received a complement on the taste from that person.
So yeah milk/cream/yogurt will temper the burn a bit.

Grub · August 24, 2006

Hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but besides the good advice above I was wondering just how much difference in flavour there will be between the peppers. Though I'm actually a bit of a heat freak maybe there isn't that much difference in the flavours when the heat is tempered.

honu · August 24, 2006

Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful ideas!
Thanks bbjm, for resurrecting this post!
ZabulaZa, yogurt is great for removing the heat off my tongue as well as being so good for you -- allowed me to experience the flavors without too much pain.
Grub, great question...hijack away, LOL.

I'd also love to hear about the differences in flavor...
I'm just a beginner, only recently tasted my first chinense (yellow habanero & red fatalii), and I liked the flavor much more than the annuums I tried. Serrano and jalapeno sort of tastes grassy in comparison, but I enjoy the nice medium heat that they impart. Red Thai was just plain HOT to me, I couldn't taste any flavor over that heat!

svalli · August 24, 2006

I am not a heat addict and want more flavor than heat. I fell in love with the taste of the mild C. chinense peppers, which have the warm and exotic habanero taste without too much heat. I grow also a lot of C. baccatums and they have more fresh fruity taste. I like both of these and use them in different dishes.

I have also C. pubescens and C. frutescens plants, but those have been too hot for me to do any real tasting. C. annuums have in my mind a lot of variation in taste. Some are just hot and taste like dried peas and some are sweet and flavorful, even they are hot. This year I grew Beaver Dam first time and I think that it is a great mildly hot large pepper. Tastes great in fresh salsa with my tomatoes.

July 13, 2006	#1
honu Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hawaii Posts: 270	Flavor of hot pepper? What are good ways to bring out and enjoy the FLAVOR and not just the heat of a hot pepper? Also, which hot peppers do you think are distinguished by great FLAVOR as well as heat (and would you please describe that flavor)?

August 23, 2006	#4
JabulaZa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Pretoria - Gauteng - South Africa Posts: 67	One of the best tasting peppers to me is a orange habanero, unfortunately it is also a Zinger. I would love to obtain one with the same great taste but less heat... A couple of years back I cooked the outsides with a lot of sugar and used the sugary sauce which seemed to be a bit milder but still with the great taste. We mainly used it in meat dishes (great with chicken) and on cold meats. __________________ Dave

August 23, 2006	#6
landarc Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Left Coasty Posts: 964	The way I was taught to use a pepper for the flavor and while reducing the heat, for use in sauces etc...is to use the whole pod, with a small slice or two in the side of the pepper. When cooked in a sauce, some of the heat will come through, but, not nearly as much as cutting the pepper up provides. The other thing I was taught was to remove the seeds and the white veining on the inside of the pepper. This leaves the milder outside flesh with much less capsicum, as I understand it. __________________ Lets see...$10 for Worth and $5 for Fusion, man. Tomatoes are expensive! Bob

August 24, 2006	#11
JabulaZa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Pretoria - Gauteng - South Africa Posts: 67	What I forgot to mention Yesterday is that adding milk, yogurt or cream can also tame the heat. Once did a mince dish (over pasta), I added and 1 habanero, 500ml cream (can be replaced with yogurt), some tomato puree and other herbs and spices. 500grams mince. Still hot but had somebody eating it that don't like hot stuff at all. And received a complement on the taste from that person. So yeah milk/cream/yogurt will temper the burn a bit. __________________ Dave

August 24, 2006	#12
Grub Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 2,722	Different Flavo(u)rs Hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but besides the good advice above I was wondering just how much difference in flavour there will be between the peppers. Though I'm actually a bit of a heat freak maybe there isn't that much difference in the flavours when the heat is tempered.

August 22, 2006	#2
bbjm Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Kansas Posts: 155	I'm going to bump this b/c I had hoped that those in the know would chime in. I have come to enjoy heat, but would like a good flavor too. I'm wanting to make a New Mexico style green chili and am looking for a flavorful pepper that can be used and still grow outside of New Mexico (in Kansas for example). I currently am growing very productive Jalapeno that was billed on the Bonnie label as mild. It tastes like a green bell with no heat at all. I want to do better next year. Thanks.

August 23, 2006	#7
TheDens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Georgia (Zone 7b) Posts: 233	TGS sells a pepper called Aji Dulce which is supposed to have the flavor of a habenero with a lot less heat. I can't speak for the accuracy of the description, though; I attempted to grow it this year, but my plants have dropped all their blossoms all season.

August 23, 2006	#8
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	edited to protect the innocent

August 24, 2006	#10
Glenn 50 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New Zealand Posts: 224	Joe E Parker is a semimild pepper with flavour. I like it. One of the Numex varieties...

August 24, 2006	#14
svalli Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Vaasa, Finland, latitude N 63° Posts: 838	I am not a heat addict and want more flavor than heat. I fell in love with the taste of the mild C. chinense peppers, which have the warm and exotic habanero taste without too much heat. I grow also a lot of C. baccatums and they have more fresh fruity taste. I like both of these and use them in different dishes. I have also C. pubescens and C. frutescens plants, but those have been too hot for me to do any real tasting. C. annuums have in my mind a lot of variation in taste. Some are just hot and taste like dried peas and some are sweet and flavorful, even they are hot. This year I grew Beaver Dam first time and I think that it is a great mildly hot large pepper. Tastes great in fresh salsa with my tomatoes.