Cool The Fire

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

So you have an incredible hot curry, or spicy Mexican dinner you've got planned. You know that the food is delicious, but might be a tad hot for some of your family. Common wisdom calls for milk to mitigate the burn. Cold milk, shakes, malts, ice cream, they all work.

I've found that though dairy products while in the mouth, do cool the burn, and provide relief, as soon as they are swallowed, the heat comes back. It takes several mouthfuls to wash away the capsaicin. There are better ways of quenching that fire, and that can be eaten as part of the meal. Watermelon works nearly instantly, and the heat just goes away. So a fruit salad repleat with watermelon balls can be served with the meal.

Fresh, cold wedges of black plumbs works as well. A fruit punch, made with either of those can be served with your meal, as can a good horchata.

Next time you're planning a spicy-hot meal, plan ahead beyond dairy for delicious relief from the heat.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[taxlady]

I find that it is less of a problem if, you drink lemonade with the meal. Sucking on a wedge of lemon or lime helps as does a sprinkle of salt on your tongue.

 

[pepperhead212]

This is why Indians serve a lot of yogurt based dishes, or "curds" as they call them, with many spicy dishes.

Another thing to do, if making things like curries, for some that can't take the real hot stuff, is use the milder chiles or powder, in the main dish, and add some heat for those that like the heat to a side dish, like I did with 2/3 of the chutney with that dinner a couple nights ago. Another thing that can add a smaller amount of heat, but can be given to those who like the heat, is to leave some peppers whole, as in a stif-fry, or a tarka, for many of the indian dishes. The dish can have very little heat, but you get that heat you want when you bite into a whole pepper!

 

[Chef Kenny]

From what I know, sugar is the antidote. So your use of fruits is spot on, Chief.

Maybe it was Alton Brown or someone on TV I learned that from, and that dairy, while it feels good in the mouth doesn't actually do much for the burn. People think it does because like you said, it feels good in the mouth, but its not much better than time. Time heals the burn, and if you spend a half hour swishing milk in your mouth, was it the milk or the time?!:p

I love spice myself. The only food that blows my palate is Thai hot level, but its even hard to get food that hot at a Thai place because customers will order it, then send it back because its too hot! I will "play through the pain".

Biggest problem I have with restaurants in my region at least, is not enough seasonings. People are so hard to please, they seem to be afraid of even using salt. Even the Mexican restaurants...even the small "authentic" Latino places are just bland anymore.

 

[Roll_Bones]

I don't have any issues with ingesting hot stuff. Its the other bodily function that can cause me some problems.
But I have found if I take fiber, it makes the next day a breeze. I quit drinking the stuff. I now take the fiber capsules.
Thanks @Chief Longwind Of The North . Sounds like a very good idea.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning, since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it ~ Billy Joel

 

[Badjak]

Cucumber works well
And fatty things, like prawn crackers, salted eggs, salted fish.
And yoghurt of course.
If you look at the cultures where hot/spicy food is eaten, then you'll find the cooling dishes as well.
Like the raita in Indian cooking as @pepperhead212 mentions, the prawn crackers & salted fish (ikan teri) in Indonesian cooking, & salads almost everywhere