Handling hot chillies

I read with mixed feelings Afif's entry in his blog. See Afif's blog entry. Like, I told you so... that you must learn to cook before you go live on your own. Poor Afif, maybe by cooking himself he will reduce his size and it would be better for him. His doctor wanna be friends would be so happy!

Well, Afif, you will slowly learn.Learning means you have to experiment and find out what suits you best. Mama cannot be with you at this time but I can give you tips and pointers.

Anyway, someone commented that the dried chillies (that is cili kering) in Sheffield were made from bird chillies. That is why it is very hot. To make sure that it is not too hot to handle, you should use only a little of the chillies when you cook, maybe try half a tablespoon when cooking for two. You then add some tomato sauce or tomato puree to tame the hotness of the chilli. Add a little tomato sauce at a time and see the difference in taste.When using tomato puree you may need to add a little sugar.

If ever your chillies turn out to hot for your taste buds, don't despair. Just add a little sugar, chopped onions, tamarind juice and tomato sauce/tomato puree.Always add a little of each and work yourself up until you get the right combination.

I wonder if Afif added sugar and tamarind juice in his red sauce. If he did not, it would have resulted in a very hot sauce. If tamarind juice is not available you can add vinegar in its place. You can also try adding half of a finely chopped cooking apple. The sour apple would make a refreshing difference in the sauce.

Keep on trying, Afif.