Latin American Cooking: Recipes

Introductory Notes - Section 1 of 1 (1 )

How to Handle Hot Chilies

Many of the Recipes in the booklet call for hot chilies. These popular Latin American spices are cousins to the familiar green bell peppers, but they require special handling. The volatile oils in their flesh and seeds can make your skin tingle and your eyes burn. Wearing rubber gloves is a wise precaution, especially when you are handling fresh hot chilies. Be careful not to touch your face or eyes while working with them.

To prepare chilies, first rinse them clean in cold water. (Hot water may make fumes rise from dried chilies, and even the fumes might irritate your nose and eyes.) Working under cold running water, pull out the stem of each chili and break or cut the chilies in half. Brush out the seeds with your fingers. In most cases the ribs inside are tiny, and can be left intact, but if they seem fleshy, cut them out with a small, sharp knife. Dried chilies should be torn into small pieces, covered with boiling water and soaked for at least 30 minutes before they are used. Fresh chilies may be used at once, or soaked in cold, salted water for an hour to remove some of the hotness.

Canned chilies always should be rinsed in cold water to remove the brine in which they were preserved. For finer-textured sauces, they sometimes are stemmed and seeded as well.

After handling hot chilies of any kind it is essential always to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water.