Herb & Spice Companion

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HERB & SPICE COMPANION

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Don’t let them cook: Feel the peppers to make sure they’re not softening or brown-

ing where their skins touch the pan. If they are, lower the oven temperature, keep the

oven door open even wider, and turn them more frequently.

Store dried chili peppers whole in a sealed jar, or prepare as directed below.

Storage: Reconstituting Dried Chili peppers

You can rehydrate your stored dried chili peppers and use them to make sauces and

pastes.

In a frying pan over low heat, toast the dried chili peppers for a couple minutes,

turning them and making sure they don’t burn. Skip the toasting step for less

heat in your chili sauce.

Submerge the chili peppers in a bowl or pot of hot water (not quite boiling), and

let sit for up to 20 minutes, until they soften.

Remove the skins, then crush or puree

and add to sauces or pastes.

In the Kitchen

Dishes: curries, stir-fries, sauces, salsas,

chutneys, guacamole, pastes, oils

Prep: Remember to wear disposable

gloves if you’ll be handling hot chili pep-

pers. Remove seeds and membranes to

tone down spiciness.

Slice, chop, or use small fresh chili pep-

pers whole (if you dare). Whole peppers

can be roasted in a pan, on a grill, in the

oven, or over a flame on the stove. Dried

chili peppers can be crushed finely to

make dried pepper flakes, or ground in

a spice grinder for a chili powder. Infuse

whole dried chili peppers in a jar of oil

for hot chili oil.

Serve: Chili peppers are used around

the world to spice up bland foods like

potatoes, rice, and beans. Add fresh chopped chili peppers to stir-fries, curries, salsas,

and sauces. Use dried chili peppers in any long-cooking stew or curry. Fats and oils

help tone down the heat. Use sparingly at first and add more chili as you go, accord-

ing to taste.

PAIRINGS

Fruits and Vegetables:

carrots, celery, corn, cucumber,

mushrooms, onions, peas,

potatoes, tomatoes

Proteins: beans, beef, cheeses,

chicken, eggs, fish and seafood

Seasonings: basil, bay leaf,

cilantro, coriander seeds, fish

sauce, garlic, ginger, lemon juice,

lime juice, oregano, paprika,

parsley, rau ram, soy sauce, thyme

Job:07-61264 Title:RacePoint - Herb and Spice Companion

Dtp:VIVIAN Page:170

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