What effect does removing previously-dried peppers from a sauce have?
I have a recipe for a basic enchilada sauce, in which I bring tomato sauce and chicken stock to a boil with some spices. It is then simmered for 15 minutes. It calls for using diced dried Chipotle peppers, which worked great - until we bit into one of the pieces of pepper. The heat was a bit too intense for my wife.
I thought about using big pieces of the dried Chipotle peppers next time, and then picking them out after the simmer. I assume it will take away some of the heat (which is the goal), but will I still get the flavors this way? What other changes could I expect?
Best Answer
Chilis supply 2 things, chili flavor and heat. The flavor comes from the flesh while the heat comes from the seeds and especially the membrane that connects the seeds to the flesh. Ordinarily when someone wants to reduce the heat of a pepper I would suggest cutting it open and removing the seeds and membrane, however that's pretty much impossible with a dried pepper.
My recommendation in this case would be to put the chipotles in whole, then remove them after cooking is done. Put the peppers in after all the other ingredients, just before simmering, then try to avoid stirring it if you can avoid it - be gentle so you don't burst the peppers open. Once the cooking is done you fish them out with a spoon and you can serve them as a side to the heat lovers if you like.
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Do peppers lose spice when dried?
In other words, the capsaicin content remains the same even after the water's removal. As a result, dried peppers have just as much of the capsaicin as fresh ones, just in a more concentrated space.Does heat break down capsaicin?
When it comes to cooking with chiles, chile experts say that capsaicin is very stable\u2014heat doesn't destroy it, freezing doesn't wipe it out, even acids don't seem to neutralize it (although acids do have some effect; the vinegar in Tabasco sauce, for instance, helps preserve its heat).How do you counteract too much pepper in tomato sauce?
Add a teaspoon of lemon juice or one section of a quartered fresh lemon. The acid neutralizes the effect of the pepper. It may be necessary to simultaneously add a teaspoon of sugar to counteract the lemon's sourness. Add small amounts of lemon and sugar, tasting and adding more as needed.How do you reduce the taste of red peppers?
One of the best ways to counteract this chemical compound is by adding a dairy product: whole fat milk, heavy cream, yogurt, cheese, or sour cream. Even rich coconut milk can do the trick. Sugars help to neutralize the heat of chile peppers. So try adding a little sugar or honey to balance out too-hot flavors.how to make red chili sauce out of dried peppers
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