Tzatziki Recipe Ideas

[dragnlaw]

Yes GG and MsM - I agree completely - ancho is quite mild but it is still a chile.
I'm not saying there aren't some cooling recipes out there with some spice in it but mostly they will be herbs to compliment.

 

[GotGarlic]

Of course if you are intending to use it as a "cooling complement" you might want to forgo any spicy ingredients.

There's also Riata, basically the same thing, with the aforementioned cumin plus mustard seeds and various herbs. Riata being the Indian version of a cooling complement.

Yes GG and MsM - I agree completely - ancho is quite mild but it is still a chile.
I'm not saying there aren't some cooling recipes out there with some spice in it but mostly they will be herbs to compliment.

So you agree that there are no spicy ingredients in the cucumber dish I suggested, right? So what if it's still a chile? I don't understand your objection.

 

[dragnlaw]

So you agree that there are no spicy ingredients in the cucumber dish I suggested, right? So what if it's still a chile? I don't understand your objection.

So I guess you are saying that a mild chil has absolutely no spicy zip to it?

Poblano's even being on the milder end of the Scoville scale still has a rating. I've eaten poblano's on more than one occasion that have had a surprising bite to them. That being said I would think that the Ancho powder would rate along with whatever the scale was for the originating poblano that it was made from.

Mild yes, but why even add it if you are trying to cool something - doesn't make sense.
If the tongue is burning from a spicy ingredient - another spice, mild or not, is not going to help cool. Leave it out and save it for another dish that you want a hint of spice in.

 

[pepperhead212]

Don't forget, dragnlaw, hot peppers actually have a cooling effect on your body - your pores open, and you sweat - as long as it's not just "a hint of spice". This is why the pachadis are made in southern India, where the food is hotter, as a rule.

Kashmiri peppers are a mild chile pepper named after a region in northern India, and the peppers are dried and ground to a powder, that looks like ancho, and has a similar flavor, which is why ancho or a mild numex is often used in its place. It's a little hotter, but not much, and gives dishes more flavor, than heat.

 

[GotGarlic]

So I guess you are saying that a mild chil has absolutely no spicy zip to it?

Poblano's even being on the milder end of the Scoville scale still has a rating. I've eaten poblano's on more than one occasion that have had a surprising bite to them. That being said I would think that the Ancho powder would rate along with whatever the scale was for the originating poblano that it was made from.

Mild yes, but why even add it if you are trying to cool something - doesn't make sense.
If the tongue is burning from a spicy ingredient - another spice, mild or not, is not going to help cool. Leave it out and save it for another dish that you want a hint of spice in.

I'm saying it doesn't matter. The point of using a dairy product like yogurt or sour cream is that capsaicin, the chemical that makes peppers hot, dissolves in the fat in dairy products, which is why we use them with spicy dishes as a cooling element. A little of the fruity, smoky flavor in ancho chile powder adds primarily flavor to the condiment. The small amount of heat it adds will not overcome the cooling effect of the dairy.

And what pepperhead said is true, although I don't think it applies in this case, since, as I mentioned, the fat in the dairy neutralizes the capsaicin in the chile powder.

 

[dragnlaw]

Don't forget, dragnlaw, hot peppers actually have a cooling effect on your body - your pores open, and you sweat -.

I've always been annoyed with that analogy. When I'm hot I'm already sweating and sweat only feels cool if there is a breeze to evaporate the sweat. So hot tea on a hot day does not cool me down - just makes me sweat more. Ditto a hot spice.

 

[dragnlaw]

A little of the fruity, smoky flavor in ancho chile powder adds primarily flavor to the condiment.

.

Aha, Ok, point taken - I concede.

 

[Rascal]

Id add a bit of Garam masala.

Russ

 

[pepperhead212]

I've always been annoyed with that analogy. When I'm hot I'm already sweating and sweat only feels cool if there is a breeze to evaporate the sweat. So hot tea on a hot day does not cool me down - just makes me sweat more. Ditto a hot spice.

I drink iced tea 365 days a year. Can you guess why?