Do you cook chilli or add it to your cooking once you've nearly finished? I guess there is no exact way. Spicy food is certainly a preference. Some like it hot, some do not, and it really depends on how much heat you can (and want to) handle.
I used to think having more heat in the dish was better because people might want a chilli "shock". But the flavour is also important.
I grew up in China and my husband is Bangladeshi. It quickly became evident that we have different ways of using chilli when we cook.
The Chinese way is what I know
A common saying in China is: "The Sichuanese are not afraid of hot chilli; no degree of heat will frighten off the people of Guizhou, but those Hunanese are terrified of food that isn't hot."
Maybe. None of our family members are from these regions, and our speciality isn't spicy, but our family loves chilli dishes.
My mum is a big fan of chilli. She loves either making chilli as a standalone dish or cooking chilli meat. She shared a chilli trick with me: "Cooking chilli with hot oil will burst the best flavour of chilli."
Our homemade chilli sauce is considered a standalone dish, and it's more sophisticated than simply being hot. Why do we call chilli sauce a dish? Because we cook it in peanut oil like other stir-fry dishes, and you can eat it as is.
Chilli sauce is easy to cook at home.
A unique fragrance develops because the sauce ingredients are slowly heated in oil. The ingredients include chopped chilli peppers, cumin seeds, star anise, bay leaf and cinnamon. You can feel the chilli flakes dancing on your tongue after you taste it, and it also gives your mouth a numbing sensation. Both my mum and my husband can have more than three bowls of plain rice with this homemade chilli sauce, although it is quite oily. But remember that chilli fragrance can also cause allergic reactions. I wouldn't say I like the smell of fried chilli pepper; it makes me sneeze every time. And I need to drink more water whenever I have this chilli sauce. It also makes me flush.
You can feel the chilli flakes dancing on your tongue.
When cooking meat and chilli oil, the most challenging part is controlling the meat's temperature while adding the oil. My mum says that instead of directly pouring hot oil onto a dish, add chilli flakes and other seasoning ingredients to a plate beforehand.
Source: Tammi Kwok
The Bangladeshi way I have come to learn
After cooking alongside my husband for years, I've noticed he really enjoys chilli.
"Growing up in Bangladesh, we love eating raw green chilli and red chilli," my husband says. "Bangladeshis celebrate chilli."
Bangladeshis celebrate chilli.
It's not uncommon for Bangladeshis to enjoy a whole chilli (often a green one) as a side dish. Bangladeshis also often add chopped chilli peppers just at the end of a cook. My husband's specialities are mashed dishes, such as mashed fish, onions and potatoes. He often chooses fresh chillies, which can be green, red, or both, and then he mashes them all together. These mashed dishes are similar to Chinese cold dishes. But the chilli flavour is very different as my husband blends uncooked pepper skin and chilli seeds inside the dish. (This is pretty spicy for me.)
I also spoke with my sister-in-law, and I've learnt that she mainly uses chilli powder for her curries.
My husband tells me, "We used to dry chilli peppers under the sun, then roast and ground them by ourselves. But nowadays, people like to take dried fruits to the shop to make powder, which is easier, however, the powder taste will be different."
Bengali crab curry, called kakrar jhal, is a hearty, spicy affair, suited for family reunions. Source: Angie Cui
BANGLADESHI RECIPE
How my Bangladeshi sister-in-law saves me from culinary humiliation
Together in Australia
Although we like to cook chilli dishes in both the Bangladesh and Chinese ways, sometimes we have to consider if our children can handle the heat. Now, we often adapt our cooking to the ABC (Australian, Bangladeshi, Chinese) way, which is mainly the Australian way for the children: mild chilli dishes.
When it's my turn to cook, I only add some chilli flakes and offer kimchi-type pickles to the children. Then I have a couple of teaspoons of chilli sauce for myself, although it makes me red. Even so, I still want chilli in every meal.
When my husband cooks, he grumbles, "I can't put too many chillies in the dish because children won't eat much. They can only have some mild mashed potatoes." However, he puts raw green chillies on his plate, which makes him happy.
MORE CHILLI-BASED RECIPES
Five-spice tempura with MYO chilli oil
