Three Cool Peppers: Aleppo, Urfa Biber, Bhut Jolokia

I love capsicums in all their forms, from the low end of the Scoville scale to the upper reaches. Fresh crunchy red bells, fire-roasted poblanos, habaneros minced into table salsa—all have their charms. The dried chillis are at least as intriguing and have the advantage of being available year round. I can't imagine my kitchen without bottles of Hungarian and Spanish paprika, smoky chipotles or cayenne powder. More recently I've added three new peppers to my culinary arsenal. Pictured are Aleppo pepper (top), Urfa Biber (right) and Bhut Jolokia (pods).



In the past few years Aleppo pepper has become one of my favorite seasonings. Since learning of it from Paula Wolfert's writings my spice cabinet is never without a jar. Aleppo, named after the Syrian town where it originated, is an excellent all-purpose red pepper, hot but not excruciating, with a full fruity flavor. There are few dishes calling for red pepper that aren't improved with Aleppo. Last winter, when bitter oranges were in season, I loved to marinate sliced sweet onions in citrus juice (you can sub lime), olive oil, Aleppo pepper and fresh thyme. I could drink that marinade by the cup. Aleppo pepper is available in Chicago at The Spice House.

In recent months I've become addicted to Urfa Biber, one of the most distinctive peppers I've tried. The batch I bought at Kalustyan's in New York is a purplish-black coarse powder. Not particularly hot, it's quite oily (see photo) and has an overwhelming aroma reminiscent of raisins and pipe tobacco. While it's an excellent cooking ingredient, I prefer to sprinkle Urfa Biber on finished dishes, where its unique aroma and flavor can be best appreciated. Try it on some simple broiled fish or vegetables dressed with olive oil and lemon. I haven't seen this pepper locally but it's available by mail from Kalustyan's.

Since the Bhut Jolokia was certified by Guinness as the world's hottest pepper (over a million Scoville units) it has received quite a bit of publicity. This pepper has been somewhat scarce but is becoming more available. I picked up a package of dried Naga Jolokias (it goes by several names) at Kalustyan's. These chillis are highly scented, with a penetrating smoky and fruity odor. They have a correspondingly wonderful flavor, similar to habaneros, but they're so hot it's difficult to fully appreciate. I added one medium pod to a large batch of stew and it made a very noticeable difference. This will never become an everyday pepper for me but real heat freaks will love them.

Last week at my local plant sale I was surprised to find beautiful Bhut Jolokia plants. Of course I purchased one. Hopefully come August I'll have a fresh crop to share with my masochist friends.



There are a few videos of idiots eating whole Bhut Jolokias, such as this one.

The Spice House (several locations)
1512 N Wells St
Chicago
773-274-0378
http://www.thespicehouse.com/

Kalustyan's
123 Lexington Av
New York NY
212-685-3451
http://kalustyans.com/

Fascinating report (as always), Peter. Thanks.

One quick question: do you recall who sold the Bhut Jolokia plants...do you know if they have more...or of another local source for plants? I'd only seen seeds for sale.

Thanks.

Gypsy Boy wrote:One quick question: do you recall who sold the Bhut Jolokia plants...do you know if they have more...or of another local source for plants? I'd only seen seeds for sale.

I got my plant at the Hyde Park Garden Fair (http://hydeparkgardenfair.org/), an excellent annual event. The Bhut Jolokias sold out in the first hour. Unfortunately I don't know which nursery they came from. It's possible you could contact somebody who knows through the link above.

Have you checked Gethsemane Garden Center? I haven't visited yet this year but am sometimes surprised by what turns up there.

While looking for growing hints I think I saw several mail order sources for plants (many more for seeds) but as I recall most were sold out. It could be worth a more careful internet search.

If my plant does well I have a feeling I'll have more than I can handle (I'm a chilli fan but these are beyond my capabilities) so I'll be happy to give you a few.

I recently grabbed a bag of dried dundicut peppers (C. annuum) from Penzey's, which they describe as a native pepper to Pakistan and similar to a Scotch bonnet. It's got a fantastic aroma, and packs a goodly amount of heat when I use two of them (reconstituted then ground to paste) in a pot of whatever in a quantity for two people. I was not previously familiar with it, but will be taking home a bag of them this weekend to cook some traditional Pakistani meals with ma mère.

I am also finding myself grabbing a lil' 'leppo for just about anything I'm cooking on the fly, it's a versatile pepper, and I agree with you Rene G, makes pretty much everything better. Love your marinade idea which I will be trying soon. Thanks.

I've also grown very fond of the aleppo as an intermediate heat/warmth source for dishes where I layer heat. It's like a slightly spicier version of dried ancho in that it kinda forms a nice background of warmth to a dish. I asked my csa guy to try to grow some bhut jolokia for me, and he says they've started already. Never tried them, so I'm very excited to get some fresh ones. I've never had Urfa Biber, sounds like they'd be a match for a mole or a tinga? Something with a smokey-ish flavor?

Rene G wrote:I got my plant at the Hyde Park Garden Fair (http://hydeparkgardenfair.org/), an excellent annual event. The Bhut Jolokias sold out in the first hour. Unfortunately I don't know which nursery they came from. It's possible you could contact somebody who knows through the link above.

Shoot. I was at the Hyde Park Garden Fair and it didn't even occur to me to check the peppers for Bhut Jolokias (although I probably would have missed them, as you said they sold out in the first hour), since I already have like sixteen hot pepper plants in the back yard. Darn it. I'm really curious to find out what these things taste like fresh. On the plus side, I did get ten heirloom tomato plants, so this year's back yard harvest is going to be a little more interesting than usual (although the tomatoes seem to be having a little more difficulty than usual adjusting to the soil--a couple developed yellowed leaves two days later, but hopefully they'll pull through.)

Rene, have you tried Basque Espelette? I received a tip that Aleppo is really close as far as heat, sweetness, and flavor are concerned. Espelette is AOC and quite pricey so I'm looking for a suitable alternative.

The texture on the Aleppo in the photo looks really close because Espelette is also coarsely ground.

tatterdemalion wrote:I recently grabbed a bag of dried dundicut peppers (C. annuum) from Penzey's, which they describe as a native pepper to Pakistan and similar to a Scotch bonnet. It's got a fantastic aroma, and packs a goodly amount of heat when I use two of them (reconstituted then ground to paste) in a pot of whatever in a quantity for two people.

I have generally experienced dundicutt used more as a finishing pepper - browned in a little oil, alone, or with garlic and other spices, and added to daals etc. I agree that they have great flavor.

Peter thanks for your report on the other peppers - very interesting.

Jyoti

jygach wrote:

tatterdemalion wrote:I recently grabbed a bag of dried dundicut peppers (C. annuum) from Penzey's, which they describe as a native pepper to Pakistan and similar to a Scotch bonnet. It's got a fantastic aroma, and packs a goodly amount of heat when I use two of them (reconstituted then ground to paste) in a pot of whatever in a quantity for two people.

I have generally experienced dundicutt used more as a finishing pepper - browned in a little oil, alone, or with garlic and other spices, and added to daals etc. I agree that they have great flavor.

Peter thanks for your report on the other peppers - very interesting.

Jyoti

Jyoti, thanks for the clarification ! In fact, the thought recently crossed my mind to do just what you have suggested as a topper to a bowl of khichri but alas I did not have the patience at the time. Good to know its intended use.

I've also seen Aleppo pepper at Middle East Bakery on Foster (it's in the small plastic takeout containers on the wall racks with the other dried spices), but haven't tried it out yet.

It seems like this thread might be the right place to post about a fourth cool pepper.

Although it's better known than the three peppers featured here, piri-piri has been a favorite for several years. Saveur Issue 59 discusses piri-piri in an article on Portuguese grilled chicken. It's too bad that they don't link to the original article, or credit the article's author, but here is the link for the recipe.

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Grilled-Chicken-with-Chile-Sauce

Try this recipe and you will not be disappointed. Though it sounds as though you can imagine what this will produce, I found myself surprised at the finished product. This is one recipe that transforms the ingredients into something unexpected. It's one of the things I truly crave every summer because it turns out such a juicy bird. You must use bone-in chicken pieces, though. I doubt I have to remind anyone here on LTH of this, but boneless, skinless breasts will not work!

Since I am currently without a grill, I decided to satisfy my craving for piri-piri with a version of pasta fra diavolo made with the shellfish I get from my local fishmonger. To flavor the clam, mussel and tomato base, I added about a tablespoon of this sauce. I found this Timorense sauce at Chaves Market in Fall River, Massachusetts. I hope that others will post pictures from Chaves, which is a source for all foods Portuguese.



The sauce itself reminds one of harissa, but with a strong lemony flavor that adds that quoi je ne les sels.

My recipe: Saute a few cloves of garlic in Portuguese olive oil. Steam a few clams and mussels until they open. Remove from shells. Add some chopped plum tomatoes and a bit of the clam broth and warm the sauce. Just before serving, stir in Quinta d'Avo to taste. Taste first and then season with additional salt and black pepper, only if needed. Toss with pasta and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley. (No cheese, please!)



Here is a link to a recipe for another piri-piri sauce from Saveur, though they call for fresno chiles and a bit of ginger, which is not present in the Timorense version.

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Piri-Piri-Sauce

Thanks so much for that first piri-piri link! I've tried many piri-piri recipes over the last few years trying to replicate my dining experiences in South Africa (my first exposure to piri-piri/peri-peri, where I ate it nearly daily) and that recipe finally gets me in the right ballpark. Previously, I had been using fresh chiles and a lot less oil, and it seems to me the dried chiles and generous amounts of oil is what my recipes were missing. Plus the short cooking step. I upped the levels of peppers and lemon juice (including adding some rind) and used a mix of olive and vegetable oils in the given recipe, and it's pretty much spot-on to my memories of spatchcocked Jo'burg chicken piri-piri. (And, yes, I did try the recipe straight first before going tinkering. Even straight-up the recipe was much better than what I've been coming up with. I just like a little more citrus and heat in my piri-piri.)

Binko wrote:Thanks so much for that first piri-piri link! I've tried many piri-piri recipes over the last few years trying to replicate my dining experiences in South Africa (my first exposure to piri-piri/peri-peri, where I ate it nearly daily) and that recipe finally gets me in the right ballpark.

You made my day, Binko. I live to serve. . . dinner, that is!

Hi, Everybody.

Some info on peppers.
You can buy many different kinds of pepper
seeds from here.
http://aces.nmsu.edu/chilepepperinstitute/
This includes Bhut's

If you are really into Aleppo's, I grow and
sell them. FRESH.
And trust me when I say, there is nothing
like fresh aleppo's for fish dishes.
I have plants producing peppers now and
many more in the summer.
There are several varities of aleppos, from
small and hot to large and tasty.

Pepper Man
pepperman@dvuniverse.com

Any sources on aleppo seeds?

One of the very best pepper seed sources is a small company here in Québec, Solana Seeds. They have a *very* large (probably the largest I've ever seen) catalogue of both sweet and hot peppers. And their aji dulce/rocotillo is the only correct one I've ever been able to find. It's a wonderful pepper: a hab's flavor, but sweet, no heat. Jean Smith claims that it's the best eating pepper in the world. She might be right!

Geo

Hi,

What you refer as Urfa (the full name of the city is SanlıUrfa) Biber is called actually "Isot (pronounced eesot). Pepperrs in Urfa, Turkey are ver hot, don't know the equivalent at Scoville . Urfa peeper is collected, the seeds are taken out and dried at sun in a flat place. On the 3rd day they are collected and smashed

There is an online market that sells everything from Turkey. If you can not find it I can send it to you

So surprised to see an American enjoying the isot

If you need any recipes related with it I can send those as well.

I lived 15 years in Istanbul, I visited India, Mexico and Thailand, I can confirm that Turkish pul biber and Turkish Isot Biber, is NOT spicy at all. Its a medium mild and soft red pepper. It just gives good a little taste.

About Turkish Isot which is used in the more sweet dishes:

Urfa biber, often referred by its common Turkish name Isot, is a red pepper, ripening to a dark maroon on the plant. To reach the full taste and typical dark purple colour, the peppers go through a two-part process, where they are sun-dried during the day and wrapped tightly at night for more than a week. The night process is called 'sweating', and works to infuse the dried flesh with the remaining moisture of the pepper. This sweating process gives the chile a rich, earthy flavor and smoky aroma.

Traditionally used in Turkey in meat and savoury foods, Isot biber is the indispensable flavor to the local versions of Köfte, the çiğ köfte (raw meat). From years of careful cultivation, this chili has been refined to create a penetrating layer of flavor. It lends a distinctive touch to grilled meats, eggplant and squash that is unlike any other.

Because of its fruity overtones, chocolate-tobacco flavor truly unique, it is becoming popular in to use in sweet dishes in North America.

Just found jolokia pepper plants at Clarke's Garden Center on Route 30 in Ford Heights (right off 394). Plant tender guy said that they were the special project of the son of the owner but I guilted him into selling me one. Healthy looking plant that will hopefully yield some little beauties for homemade pepper sauce in a few months...fingers crossed!

boudreaulicious wrote:Just found jolokia pepper plants at Clarke's Garden Center on Route 30 in Ford Heights (right off 394). Plant tender guy said that they were the special project of the son of the owner but I guilted him into selling me one. Healthy looking plant that will hopefully yield some little beauties for homemade pepper sauce in a few months...fingers crossed!

Found the same at Mileager's garden center in Racine today. Also a pepper called the Caribbean Red Hot which is advertised as hotter than a Habenero.

Also a pepper called the Caribbean Red Hot which is advertised as hotter than a Habenero.

The problem with the Caribbean Red chile v. the fruity and complex habanero is that it has virtually no flavor other than 'searingly hot.' With its abundant fire engine red fruit, it does make a very nice ornamental chile, though, and it's a bit out of the ordinary in a decorative container when combined with other strongly-colored plants. Good combo: the 'Marguerite' lime-green variety of sweet potato vine, one or two CR plants, and some 'Bright Lights' Swiss chard. Low maintenance, somewhat edible, and certainly flashy!

sundevilpeg wrote:

Also a pepper called the Caribbean Red Hot which is advertised as hotter than a Habenero.

The problem with the Caribbean Red chile v. the fruity and complex habanero is that it has virtually no flavor other than 'searingly hot.' With its abundant fire engine red fruit, it does make a very nice ornamental chile, though, and it's a bit out of the ordinary in a decorative container when combined with other strongly-colored plants. Good combo: the 'Marguerite' lime-green variety of sweet potato vine, one or two CR plants, and some 'Bright Lights' Swiss chard. Low maintenance, somewhat edible, and certainly flashy!

Thanks for the tip! I have an extra decorative pot so I might give this combo a go. I scored some rainbow chard (9 plants for $3.25) at Wal-Mart a few weeks back so I could fill in with selected plants from that.

sundevilpeg wrote:
Quote:
Also a pepper called the Caribbean Red Hot which is advertised as hotter than a Habenero.


The problem with the Caribbean Red chile v. the fruity and complex habanero is that it has virtually no flavor other than 'searingly hot.' With its abundant fire engine red fruit, it does make a very nice ornamental chile, though, and it's a bit out of the ordinary in a decorative container when combined with other strongly-colored plants. Good combo: the 'Marguerite' lime-green variety of sweet potato vine, one or two CR plants, and some 'Bright Lights' Swiss chard. Low maintenance, somewhat edible, and certainly flashy!


Thanks for the tip! I have an extra decorative pot so I might give this combo a go. I scored some rainbow chard (9 plants for $3.25) at Wal-Mart a few weeks back so I could fill in with selected plants from that.

Rick T: Followed my own advice, and just picked up a good-sized Carribbean Red seedling at the Evanston Garden Fair - for a buck. Gaudy container combo to follow!

Had my first taste of Jolokia last night at Kama Indian Bistro in LaGrange (8W Burlington). Not sure how commonly this pepper is listed on menus, but this was the first time I'd noticed it. It was in a dish called Kama Kaze, and the Jolokia sauce was available with chicken, shrimp and lamb. I went with lamb, figuring that the strongly flavored meat would stand up to the pepper.



I got a small portion of this plate and that was a good thing because, honestly, I could eat only a few bites. Which is not to say it was unpleasant at all. With my first bite, well, it was kind of like when you bang your shin, and it doesn't hurt right away, but you know it's going to hurt. My first bite of the Kama Kaze gave my tongue an aggressive tickle, like someone gently brushed it with sandpaper, but I felt no heat...for about five seconds or so. Then the heat built, and it was strong on the tongue but by no means bruising, and then moments later, and for the next 90 minutes or so, I could feel this intense, though again not at all unpleasant, warmth radiating from my core. Even after the pepperiness out on the palate had vanished, I was still very very warm for a long time after eating this dish. Fascinating chili.

She did better than this guy.

stevez wrote:She did better than this guy.

Looks like he rubbed his eye, too. Another bad move.

I need to stress that my experience with a jolokia-flavored sauce, though intense, was not torturous by any means. I was perspiring a lot, so the peppers had the "cooling" effect, but it also felt like I had a slow-burning furnace in my belly, radiating heat throughout, and for a long time, which would have have made this powerful pepper welcome on even a cold day.

Peppers this magnificently potent help one see how they could have been used to alter consciousness. They really put an eater in a different place.

I have a good 30 or so Bhuts in the fridge, should get more on Thursday from the csa guy. This year's giardiniera batch is coming together nicely. I think next weekend'll be the creation/jarring date if everything goes as planned.

Will trade homebrew for ghost pepper giardiniera

David,

Did you eat the entire dish or were those first few bites enough?

If only a few bites, did you bring home a doggie bag? How long will sit there before it is tossed? Or will you freeze it to bring to an event someday?

A client once was a chili heat chaser. It ended the day he had a drop from a toothpick of a hot sauce where you signed a disclaimer before sampling. The rush he felt suggested a heart attack in process. He now is happy with tamer peppers and hot sauces.

Regards,