Boo! Hot pepper?

[sweetonsno]

I have been gifted some bhut jolokias.

I am already planning some infused vodka and probably a kickin' hot sauce.

Any other ideas? I'm thinking about doing a red curry paste. If anyone has a good recipe, I'd love it. (I'm a vegetarian, so I'm looking for one that is free from fishy ingredients.

[Amara]

How about a Spicy Vegetarian Pizza?

10-inch thin crust pizza base
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red chili, seeded and chopped
1 green chili, seeded and chopped
14-oz can chopped tomatoes
Dash of Tabasco (optional)
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
Chopped fresh marjoram or 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
2 oz Cheddar cheese, grated
2 oz Red Leicester cheese, grated

Heat 2 tbsp oil in the saucepan and fry the onion, garlic and chilies for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the tomatoes and Tabasco (if using) and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Slice 1 or 2 rings from the peppers and set aside. Chop the remaining peppers. Heat the remaining oil in a skillet and fry the chopped peppers for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Spread the tomato sauce over the pizza base and cover with sauteed peppers and mushrooms. Mix together the marjoram and cheeses and sprinkle over the pizza. Top with reserved pepper rings and brush rings with a little extra oil. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. You can vary the heat of this pizza by using different peppers.

I also have recipes for Green Lentils with Ginger and Spices, Chili Pasta, and Sichuan Spicy Tofu as well as gifts like a Chili Spice Basket, Chili Vinegar, Chili Yogurt Cheese in Olive Oil, and Chili and Garlic Mustard. If you are a a fan of a particular ingredient let me know and I'll look more--or send you any of these.

[buvezdevin]

Yowza!  I have had a salsa with the barest little trace of those peppers and it was too hot for me!

That said, I love chili/hot pepper oil and make my own, though I just use Thai chilis.

But I saw on seriouseats.com that they suggest making a pepper oil with the ghost peppers.  It is near bottom of the page at this link with directions:  http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/04/serious-heat-bhut-jolokia-chile-salsa-oil-recipe.html

While I often make my chili/pepper oil on the stove, I think their advice to wrap an oven proof container in foil and cook in the oven is necessary.  The fumes from making ghost pepper oil on the stove could be pretty powerful.

Let us know how it goes with whatever you make!

[sweetonsno]

Oooh! I'll have to try the chili oil. I may also try a vinegar.

I'm going to try to make a curry blend as well. I'll let you know how it goes.

[blarg314]

Just be sure to wear gloves when handling the chilis, and cook them in a well ventilated kitchen.

[LeveeWoman]

I looked at the bhut jolokias' Wiki page.

In 2009, scientists at India's Defence Research and Development Organisation announced plans to use the peppers in hand grenades, as a non lethal way to flush out "terrorists" from their hideouts and to control rioters. It will also be developed into pepper spray as a self-defense product.

[sweetonsno]

Yeah, the bhut jolokias are used to make chemical weapons. Those folks in Irwindale have it relatively easy!

I wound up using the last recipe on this page for the sauce, except I used extra liquid and three peppers: http://www.pepperjoe.com/hot-pepper-sauce/

For the infused vodka, I cut slits into three of the peppers and tossed it into a ceramic casserole with a bottle of vodka, put the lid on, and left it for about five days before straining it back into the bottle.

They've both got quite a kick. It stings, kind of like getting a bad static shock to your tongue. The burn doesn't last long (five seconds), but I only had a drop. I'm drying the last few to use in other recipes.

Going to try my hand at chili paste. I'm also going to grow myself some of these (and probably some scorpion peppers) on the patio next year.