Substitute for chilli

Wantobe

OH is allergic to chilli but is there any substitute that I could reasonably pass off for dishes that demand it?

I want to give a trial to The Kitchen Revolution which has just arrived from Amazon in the post and lo and behold in the very first week chillie is demanded!

Help?

Ponster

Can you give us an idea of the main ingredients of the recipe ?

Wantobe

http://www.thekitchenrevolution.co.uk/viewrecipe.asp?typeid=2&month=8&week=1

Here is the link if that helps?

balon

How about some mustard powder or wasabi for some bite? Unusual to have an allergy to chili, it's often the cure for what ails you!

Ponster

Well making a chilli dish for someone who can't eat chillis won't be easy but my Allergy website that I use from time to time say :

Chili powder - dash hot pepper sauce, cumin, and oregano.

Though I would have thought that there would be chilis in the pepper sauce too ?


Anyway, the recipe says to use as much or as little as you like so you can always try it with just none

Wantobe

Thanks for replying, will give those a go. I am coeliac and as I said OH is allergic to chilli but usually its the gluten that causes a problem ( although after more than ten years being diagnosed I am pretty good at substitution now). Its only now cropping up cause I do want to try out this book and stick to it as much as I can.

Mr. Presentable

If what you're after is the after burn, try Cayenne pepper.

RuggieBear

i'll echo wasabi.love the stuff

The Hill Billy

nipplenuts wrote: »

If what you're after is the after burn, try Cayenne pepper.

Which is made from chillies & may cause a reaction.

OP - Wasabi or mustard or maybe even white pepper would give a certain amount of heat to the dish. If you want to eat a hot dish - do a search for something that doesn't include chillies.

Asiaprod

wasabi and ginger:) very common in hot Japanese dishes. Don't know if you can get it but Chinese Shinsen Toban Jan paste is also popular and quite hot.

Minder

Sichuan peppercorns for a different type of heat - more a numbing sensation.

SnowMonkey

Minder wrote: »

Sichuan peppercorns for a different type of heat - more a numbing sensation.

great if you've got tooth ache


Cianne peaper... if thats any good dunno if its made from chili but its nice...:)

bonkey

Wantobe wrote: »

OH is allergic to chilli but is there any substitute that I could reasonably pass off for dishes that demand it?

I guess a lot would depend on what it is in the chilli that the OH is allergic to.

Wantobe

I have no idea!

But thanks for the suggestions. I'm not familiar with wasabi- what is it/made from?

Alun

Wantobe wrote: »

I'm not familiar with wasabi- what is it/made from?

It's a Japanese kind of horseradish, light green in colour.

Minder

Alun wrote: »

It's a Japanese kind of horseradish, light green in colour.

It's supposed to be a Japanese kind of horseradish, light green in colour - but what passes for wasabi in the West is more often a mixture of western horseradish, mustard and a green dye. As wasabi is closely related to mustard and horseradish - the experience is very similar.

True wasabi is slow to mature taking 3 to 4 years for the rhizome to swell to a useable size - making it expensive. It loses it's flavour very quickly when cut - which makes it difficult to process into a powder or paste. The heat from wasabi is not like chilli - it is short lived and affects the nasal passages rather than the mouth.

Asiaprod

Minder wrote: »

It loses it's flavour very quickly when cut - which makes it difficult to process into a powder or paste.

It is readily available here in Japan in paste form in plastic tubes and keeps for a long time. However, as minder hinted at, nothing you can buy can compares to real freshly ground wasabi. Its like someone stuck a fire cracker up your nose and lit it. I have seen grown men weep, a little goes a long way.

Krusty_Clown

Is it an allergy or an intolerance? What are the reactions?

Given that Chilli and it's derivatives are used pretty much everywhere, if your OH has a serious reaction, you should narrow it down, as it could be quite dangerous. This will also help you to find a good substitute.

Does the OH also react to sweet peppers/Capsicum which are from the same family as the chilli?

Perhaps they react to an ingredient in Chilli powder, rather than fresh chillis? Chilli Powder can include things like Cinnamon, cloves, garlic, coriander, mace, butmeg, tumeric, cumin, oregano, etc.. and in some extreme cases, toxic carcinogens (remember the Sudan Red 1 colourant fiasco?)

Minder

Asiaprod wrote: »

It is readily available here in Japan in paste form in plastic tubes and keeps for a long time. However, as minder hinted at, nothing you can buy can compares to real freshly ground wasabi. Its like someone stuck a fire cracker up your nose and lit it. I have seen grown men weep, a little goes a long way.

Is it as difficult to grow as I am led to believe? I have read of the need for gravel beds in just the right climate next to pure crystal streams..... I have also read of shoving a couple of seeds into a bucket of well draining soil and keeping it well watered. Probably a moot point as the seeds are as rare as horse feathers.

Asiaprod

Minder wrote: »

Is it as difficult to grow as I am led to believe? I have read of the need for gravel beds in just the right climate next to pure crystal streams..... I have also read of shoving a couple of seeds into a bucket of well draining soil and keeping it well watered. Probably a moot point as the seeds are as rare as horse feathers.

I am told it is hard to grow, and it is planted in running water. Even here where they grow it it is very expensive. But the taste.......yummy.

Wantobe

Thanks to every one who replied. Can confirm that cayenne pepper caused the same reaction so that's out. Tried to get wasabi today in tesco but no go. Also mirin and sake...This weeks recipes from thekitchenrevolution call for chilli again ( and mirin and sake)...may have to give up on the book!:cool:

Kat1170

Try somewhere that sells sushi (sp), they should stock wasabi.