Is it Hot or Spicy?

Several years ago, in Bangkok, Thailand, I encountered the most intoxicating chile of my life: Prik Kaleang, known as the “king of heat,” to many. In the land of chiles, it turns out size does matter. I popped the bright red, oblong chile in my mouth and crunched on it. Seconds later, I felt fire coming out of my ears. I felt like Homer Simpson tripping after eating insanity peppers on the “El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer” episode. There were tears dripping down my face and a few screams as I worked through the pain. It was undeniably hot but also cooled me down in the over-100-degree, very humid weather once I returned to my body post-tripping out.

A constant misconception is avoidance of cuisines, such as Thai, Indian and even Mexican, because the food is “too spicy.” My rebuttal is, “So you like boring, bland, flavorless dishes?” It gets people’s wheels turning, and more often than not, I can convince them to try something new. “Spicy does not equate to hot all the time,” says Vishwesh Bhatt, chef at Snackbar in Oxford, Mississippi. Indian food consists of beautiful, nuanced layers of spices, and mostly when people refer to not liking spicy food, what they mean is they don’t want the fiery capsaicin effect, which is totally acceptable as I still have flashbacks of the Thai chile.

Some like it hot ... and some do not
It’s a challenge Vishwesh navigates daily at the restaurant. A pre-service lineup and tasting with the staff takes place daily, where the ritual question of “Is it spicy?” comes into play and what the answer will be. “Given that I have a penchant for liberal use of spices in my cooking, the answer is always yes,” Vishwesh says. If asking if a particular dish is peppery or hot, well, it’s complicated – and subjective to the eater. “What may be hot to me may be just fine for you,” he says. “I know this because my wife’s tolerance for Scoville units is much higher than mine and often causes street food vendors in Ahmedabad [India] to look surprised when she asks for extra chiles or red chutney for her dishes.”

Indian food is also very diverse and varies on spice and heat significantly depending where you are. “From north to south and east to west, food, language and topography change in India with more frequency than an Ole Miss coed changes outfits in a day,” says Vishwesh. At Chauhan Ale and Masala House in Nashville, Tennessee, Maneet Chauhan’s Nashville Hot Chicken Pakoras with ghost pepper aioli are the perfect amount of heat for my mouth, but I also like it hot. And as the dish implies, it is hot. The Gol Guppa Shots with mint-cilantro water are perfectly spiced – a snack I’ve always been able to talk anyone into trying. “Once people have proper Indian food, they will appreciate the true understanding of spice versus hot,” says Maneet. “When we think about spice, it’s often forgotten that spice has a variety of different flavor profiles, and hot is just one of those profiles. Other flavors on the spectrum of spice are smoky, sweet, tart and grassy.”

Know thy chiles
While I can’t say I’ll ever consume an entire Prik Kaleang again, I’m not scared of chiles. Certain dishes would not be worthy of consumption without them. In Mexico, there are dozens of chiles. It’s important to know where to start and explore from there. Really hot chiles are not for everyone, and it certainly isn’t a competition. “But if you enjoy it, seeking out and using a diverse selection of chiles is incredibly rewarding,” says Val M. Cantú, chef and owner of two-MICHELIN-starred Californios in San Francisco, California.

“Certainly, guajillo chiles are generally approachable, and I would recommend them for beginners,” he says. They’re versatile, great in most recipes and have a beautifully balanced sweet, smoky and tangy flavor profile. “In the U.S., we see jalapeños used very often, but serranos are really the king,” says Val. “I would encourage everyone to use serranos when they are looking for that sharp and intoxicating green chile flavor. Once you get used to them, jalapeños will seem so pedestrian and boring.” Rare, dried chiles from Mexico, like Pasilla Mixe chiles, Costeño chiles, Chilhuacle chiles and Morita chiles, are worth seeking out and very special, he notes.

A few farmers are growing habanadas – habanero chiles bred with zero Scoville units – as a solid alternative to cook with habanero flavor without the fiery heat. “They are so amazing when you can find them fresh,” says Val. “Chiles are generally a late summer crop, and they are worth talking to your local farmers about.”

A conversation of culture
In my opinion, dining out is a portal into a chef’s personal world. I want to experience flavors of their childhood and taste every last dose of love and inspiration in their dishes. Before announcing you don’t like spicy food or are scared of chiles, have a conversation. “If someone says to me that they don’t like Indian food because it is too spicy, I take it as a personal challenge to find dishes they will like,” says Vishwesh – who, to date, has a solid track record! “I firmly believe that it is our duty as folks who make a living feeding people to make it clear to them that pepper is but one spice.”

Familiarity and nostalgia are kickoff points. “In the Mississippi hill country, I often use Delta tamales, corn bread, fried catfish, pimento cheese, bread pudding and mulled wine as examples of dishes that all use a good bit of spice but yet are far from being ‘spicy’ and certainly aren’t peppery hot,” he says. “Once folks recognize that distinction, the next step is very easy: Start feeding them other dishes they are already familiar with that are full of spice and flavor, like Pastrami, chili, etouffee, gumbo, sausage gravy – and once that is done, slipping in toasted cumin in their cheese grits and cardamon in their chicken stew is child’s play.”

Using less chiles in a dish will ultimately make it less hot, but never ask a chef to make a dish less spicy. Mole, a traditional, decadent sauce used in Mexican cuisine, can contain up to 100 ingredients, including a lot of peppers and spices. “I think Mexican cuisine has a warmth to it that can be felt from the spiciness of the chiles to the care and love that is put into its creation,” says Val. “To create many of the sauces, it is a labor of love, and sharing those flavors and the beauty of the chiles is one of the special parts of Mexican culture.” Dissecting the flavor out of a dish tells me you should probably not be dining out in the first place. Go to enjoy a chef’s portal, or go home.