Topic: Dorset Naga's

[chriswg]

I find the taste a bit overwhelming, it really seems to take over the whole dish. I made a chilli sauce a couple of days ago using half a Naga and about 8 super chillies. I love the heat of them, but the taste isn't quite right for me (which is a shame given the amount that are growing!).

[976bar]

So tell me please.......

How does everyone here treat a chilli?

Do you cut it up and discard the seeds? Do you keep the seeds in? What in you're opinion makes a chilli hot?

When I recently went on an Indian Cookery course, the tutor there had a degree in Food Science. She said, its not the seeds that make a chilli hot, its the waxy oily stuff just under the skin.........

But as the seeds are porous, they will easily soak up the heat from the juices expelled when cutting a chilli.......

I have tried both ways and to be honest, I don't find any difference to the heat whether I cut it up and discard the seeds or not. I guess it's down to the type of Chilli you use which determines the heat factor......

What are all your views?

[chriswg]

I always leave the seeds in. Whether it affects the heat or not I don't know, I just don't see the point of discarding them. Usually when a chef says to discard the seeds it is because they want the chilli taste without the fire so I guess they must contain a lot of the heat.

I think next year I'm going to grow green finger chillies as they seem to work best in Indian cooking, and Jalape?os for on pizza. The super chillies are good and plentiful but I'm not sure they work very well in curries. The Nagas have been a fun experiment but I don't think I'll be repeating it. To give you an idea of heat, I cut one open and just touched it on the tip of my tongue. It felt like I had physically burned it for about 30 mins. I also think I rubbed my eyelid with a chilli covered finger which wasn't wise. It felt like I had badly scratched it for hours.

[976bar]

I currently have a finger chilli plant on the go, some have turned red some are still green, they'll turn red the longer you leave them on the plant.

I'll take some pics, and try to post them on here

Haven't tried them yet though, am waiting for them to ripen just a little more first ...

[thewuffler]

Best thing to do with Dorset Nagas?
Forget curries - a nice mature cheddar cheese on toast, VERY finely chopped naga ( I use scissors so I don`t have the "I feel a bit sleepy - I`ve got tired dry eyes - rub rub ARGHH!!!!!!)
Just to lift things slightly, a splash of 50/50 mix of Lea & Perrins and Thai fish sauce!!!

Otherwise, Super Chillies are a great variety and very productive but ( and this is only my second year growing chillies ) Ring Of Fire are the nearest thing I`ve tried to the kind found in typical restaurant Jal Frezis and also those sold in Asda as long green chillies (as long as they are produce of India).
CheeryBye!

[976bar]

Cheese on Toast will never be the same again....

[thewuffler]

Last night, I used half a naga on a pizza - wow!
Since pizza places usually have  volcanic references for their spicy offerings (Vesuvio, Stromboli etc), perhaps I should call it Pizza St. Helens or Pizza Krakatoa  ;D
CheeryBye

[chriswg]

Do you guys like the taste of the Nagas? I find they completely overpower everything and the taste isn't that great. I put half of one on a pizza once and loved the heat but it tasted pretty gross.

[976bar]

Do you guys like the taste of the Nagas? I find they completely overpower everything and the taste isn't that great. I put half of one on a pizza once and loved the heat but it tasted pretty gross.

Actually, the weekend before last I went out with some guys from the golf club for an Indian. There was a guy there that had a jar of Naga paste, which he puts on his curries because they just don't do it for him without....

I put a little on a teaspoon and tried it. Yep it had the same effect on me that I had when i was in Turkey and had a screaming hot chilli. It gave me the hiccups for about 45 minutes. Anything too hot has that effect on my diaphram......

However, apart from that I found they had a rather sweet taste. I'll have to find out where he got that jar from and what it contained and will report back

It was certainly a toilet roll in the freezer that night ready for the following morning!!!  ;D

[SH]

I don't know about anyone else but whilst I find the heat of Dorset Naga almost unbearable in a curry it has none of the afterburn effects of say a cayenne despite the latter being nowhere near as hot.
On the subject of whether to take out the seeds, I have been told it's an old wives tale.  Apparently the heat is in the membrane, which lines the flesh and surrounds the seeds.  The only heat in the seeds is where they have been in contact with the membrane so taking them out makes little if any difference unless you remove the whole core, in which case you get a lot of the membrane as well.
Has anyone tried making Naga chilli oil?