# Pepper question.



## texasgirl (Jan 30, 2006)

I am making my own salsa. I love the taste as it is right now,but, seems not to be hot enough for some of my extended family members. I am putting jalepenos and ceranos. I boiled them for about 15-20 minutes and then mixed them into the tomato mixture. What else can I use or do to make it hotter?


----------



## GB (Jan 30, 2006)

Here is a scale of peppers according to their heat level.


----------



## texasgirl (Jan 30, 2006)

Thanks GB. Do they change the taste or do they just make it hotter? I don't want a change in taste.


----------



## Robo410 (Jan 30, 2006)

a pepper like the habanero is extremely hot, but also fruity, not sour, so a little can be added and up the heat without changing the overal flavor. a salsa with habanero can raise a good sweat on a forehead fer sure.


----------



## texasgirl (Jan 30, 2006)

Robo410 said:
			
		

> a pepper like the habanero is extremely hot, but also fruity, not sour, so a little can be added and up the heat without changing the overal flavor. a salsa with habanero can raise a good sweat on a forehead fer sure.


 
 Good!! I'll make them some and see if mine is as tame as they think!!


----------



## jennyema (Jan 30, 2006)

TG

How come you boil them?  I would think that might take out some of the heat.

To make the salsa hotter, you can use *more jalepenos* (IMO habs taste a lot different, though very nice) or *do not remove the seeds and membranes.*

Though the seeds themselves are not hot, they pick up capsaicin from the membranes.


----------



## texasgirl (Jan 30, 2006)

My niece told me to boil them. In most peppers, when you boil them, it brings out the heat.


----------



## GB (Jan 30, 2006)

texasgirl said:
			
		

> Thanks GB. Do they change the taste or do they just make it hotter? I don't want a change in taste.


Each pepper has it's own distinct taste. If you just want the heat then i would take Jenny suggestion and don't boil them. Also use the seeds and white membrane.

Your other option is to look for pure capsasin oil. It can be hard to find and it very dangerous if handled incorrectly. It is just the pure chemical that gives peppers their heat. It is all heat with no flavor at all. Once drop would be enough to raise the heat on a huge batch of salsa.


----------



## jennyema (Jan 30, 2006)

I would think that boiling them would strip them of some of the capsaicin ... but I don't know if that's true.

First I've heard of it!


----------



## texasgirl (Jan 30, 2006)

With my niece being Mexican, I just do what she tells me as far as this stuff. She makes the best salsa I ever had.


----------



## jennyema (Jan 30, 2006)

texasgirl said:
			
		

> With my niece being Mexican, I just do what she tells me as far as this stuff. She makes the best salsa I ever had.


 

If its that good, I sure would, too! 

I'd probably just throw in a few more peppers.


----------



## texasgirl (Jan 30, 2006)

jennyema said:
			
		

> If its that good, I sure would, too!
> 
> I'd probably just throw in a few more peppers.


 
Thanks, I think I'll do that. I'll try the habaneros next time and see what happens


----------



## dnjdery (Jan 30, 2006)

Please post your sala recipe just the way you make it. Thanks!


----------



## Zereh (Jan 30, 2006)

Just adding peppers can change the way the salsa tastes since each pepper brings their own flavors and heat to a dish.

I always associated boiling peppers with reconstituting dried ones (watched my Hispanic girlfriend do this many a time). Usually this was done as a base for enchilada / mole sauces. Or she would boil various dried peppers to create a simple salsa that didn't have much more to it then the rehydrated peppers, some dried pepper flakes and salt. She always used some of the water the peppers were boiled in to get the right consistancy in the blender.

Broiling / roasting peppers was another thing she did frequently. Doing that would probably change the taste of the salsa some, because the peppers gain a somewhat smokey undertone without altering the heat of the pepper. I would think of it as a flavor enhancement though, not a distracting or overpowering flavor.

I never recall her boiling fresh ones. Though I'm sure there are as many ways to make salsa as there are ways to create a tomatoe sauce for pasta!


Z


----------



## auntdot (Jan 30, 2006)

Have grown habaneros for the last two years, just a couple of plants, and gave the fruit away to folks who really like very hot food.

One of them made a salsa, for himself, he can eat the habaneros straight, and he put the stuff in the fridge with a note sayingO NOT EAT THIS!!

Well, his ten year old son and buddy came home from school and they got into a dare/double dare kinda thing, and the buddy ate some and rubbed his eyes.  The paramedics called the dad asking what poison he had put in the refrigerator.

The kid turned out OK, but was not very happy for quite a while.

We like hot, and actually fairly hot, and grow a variety of peppers, but very definitely have our capsaicin limits, which we readily admit.

Habaneros are not jalapenos or serranos with a bit more kick, they are seriously hot.

And as people who truly do like peppers, we have heard about pure, crystalized capsaicin or the concentrated liquid stuff. This is dangerous stuff to have about, in my humble opinion, particularly if there are young-uns about.

Think the best thing to do is add a few more jalapenos or serranos. Can always up the kick with a bit of hot sauce.  And remember, the heat from peppers in a dish increases with time.

Peppers, to us, add a lovely flavor, including hot peppers and we enjoy some steam.

But too much can just ruin a dish.

And remember, all jalapenos for example do not have the same amount of heat.

Depending upon the cultivar, the soil, and the weather, you can wind up with peppers having very different amounts of capsaicin.

Normally just pop jalapenos in my mouth.  Picked one from our garden two years ago, had let it ripen to red, and it was during a drought, cut a small sliver and gave it to Mrs. Auntdot.  Thought she was going to die.  Tried a bit myself, and it was seriously hot. 

Are sorta junior chili heads, in good standing I hope, but realize the really hot peppers should be treated with respect.


----------



## Dina (Jan 30, 2006)

TXgirl,
Try this salsa recipe:
Habanero and/or cayenne peppers, to taste
1/2 onion, sauteed in olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
3-4 medium tomatoes, cooked and peeled
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

*  3 - 4 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

Puree all ingredients in blender. 

*Heat oil in medium pan, add sauce, cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.  Enjoy!


----------



## texasgirl (Jan 30, 2006)

Thank you, everyone!!


----------



## kleenex (Jan 30, 2006)

A Habanero mash should easily do the trick.


----------



## Yakuta (Jan 30, 2006)

I guess like others said add more jalapenos or serranos but here is another suggestion which may sound different but works well. 

Take Arabol chillies (dried) and soak them in warm water for an hour.  Add the soaked chillies with some fresh garlic in a chopper and juice from a lime and chop/grind it finely.  

Prepare your salsa using your favorite recipe and in addition to raw (I would not boil jalapenos or serranos) I would add a tsp of this garlic chilli paste or provide it on the side.  People can stir in as much or as little as they want. 

Note:  Arabol are extremely spicy so pay attention to how much you add to the salsa, since you want it hot but still consumable.


----------



## Mylegsbig (Jan 30, 2006)

Ive heard of people roasting peppers to bring out flavor.  Under the broiler so their skin blackens and then you peel the skin and they are ever so delicious.

As others have said, i wouldn't boil them.


----------



## Gerrycooks (Jan 30, 2006)

*Boiled peppers??*

Why did you boil the peppers?Maybe that is why the salsa is not hot enough.
Have you ever used a Scotch Bonnet pepper? They are the hottest pepper. I bought some once because I thought they were cute. I tried to fry them and almost had to leave the house. The fumes really made me cough. I couldn't eat them.
I would wear gloves to handle the peppers and don't touch your face.



			
				texasgirl said:
			
		

> I am making my own salsa. I love the taste as it is right now,but, seems not to be hot enough for some of my extended family members. I am putting jalepenos and ceranos. I boiled them for about 15-20 minutes and then mixed them into the tomato mixture. What else can I use or do to make it hotter?


----------



## Jenny (Jan 30, 2006)

All I can say is...I don't think we have salsa in Georgia like the salsa ya'll are talking about!  Ya'll are scaring the living daylights out of me!  I believe I'll be sticking to the tame stuff in Mexicalli Grill!!! LOL!!!


----------



## SierraCook (Jan 30, 2006)

I agree with everyone else, especially Zereh.  Boiling the peppers is what is keeping the salsa from being hot enough.  Fresh serrano and jalapeno chilies should be hot enough just as they are.  I would check with your cousin and ask her what kind of peppers she boiled, dried or fresh ones.  Good luck and let us know how your salsa turns out.


----------



## texasgirl (Jan 31, 2006)

I am using the same as my niece, and boiling them as she does, and it did get hotter the longer I boiled them. I made more last night and I can't eat much of it without melting my mouth down. Let's see my nephew say it's not hot enough today!!  Thanks for your replies. That's what is good about this forum. Everyone has their different ways of doing things. My niece makes hers the way that her mil taught her to make it, as they made it growing up in Mexico. I will keep to her way as the hot sauce is very good in flavor and it doesn't have an ALL pepper taste to it.


----------



## jennyema (Jan 31, 2006)

Habarneros are hot but they taste totally different than jalapenos and serranos so you will change the taste of the salsa.

I have a freezer full of habs and jalepenos, and I am definitely going to experiment with boiling them to see if they are hotter that way.


----------



## GB (Jan 31, 2006)

Yeah I am very curious about this boiling thing as well. Can you ask your cousin what the boiling does? My gut says that some of the oils (which is whee the heat is) would float to the top of the water and then wash away making the pepper less hot, but by your experiences it does not sound like this is the case. I would love toi find out what the boiling actually does.

How long do you boil them for?


----------



## texasgirl (Jan 31, 2006)

I will ask my niece,but, since there are so many different opinions, I guess you'll just have to test it out and see for yourself. I know what I was told and what I did and what the results were.


----------



## GB (Jan 31, 2006)

How long did you boil them for? I think I would like to try this as I have been having bad luck with jalopenos lately. They do not seem to have much heat anymore, at least the ones I get. If boiling does something to increase that then I am definitely going to give it a shot!


----------



## jennyema (Jan 31, 2006)

Yes ... did you say 20 minutes?  In plain tap water?


----------



## Dina (Jan 31, 2006)

I'm with GB about losing the oils of the peppers when you boil them.  Now I'm curious to know what the boiling process is all about.


----------



## texasgirl (Jan 31, 2006)

I didn't time the first batch, but, I did last night and I boiled the peppers for 13 minutes on med-hi heat.

I'm waiting to hear from my nephew in law. He may wait until he talks to him mom if he's not sure of why it happens.

btw, boil them whole, with stems. Do not cut up or chop,until boiled.


----------



## Dina (Jan 31, 2006)

TXgirl,
I once roasted the peppers, onions and garlic and came up with an incredible and tasty sauce.


----------



## kadesma (Jan 31, 2006)

Texas,
I'm not a HOT salsa person, but, many are..So, in my way of thinking, a TNT family recipe that works and gives you what your family group likes and wants, is the one I'd use. There are always many opinions but, use your own in this area. What is that saying? If it aint broke don't fix it 

kadesma


----------



## texasgirl (Jan 31, 2006)

Thanks kadesma!


----------

