Surely it couldn't be the latter!!! Spicy foods full of chilli have always whetted my appetite although I have been toning it down a bit recently for the sake of others...
I had no intention of writing up a post when I set out to make this Red Lentil Thai Chilli soup from Isa's blog. The recipe stated that it made quite a large volume so I decided to make a half batch as a trial. As I was working out quantities the chilli powder seemed like it was way too much so I decided to halve it and use 2 teaspoons instead of 1 tablespoon. After an initial taste test the soup was still extremely spicy, it was edible for me but I wasn't confident about how it would fare with the others.
What do you think based on the original full recipe? Would you add 2 tablespoons of chilli powder to a soup that only contains 1 litre of stock, 800g of tinned tomatoes and 400ml of coconut milk? Not to mention there are already 2 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste as an additional spicy ingredient. My theory is that tablespoons may have been a typo for teaspoons, although after reading through the comments no-one else seemed to have an issue. Perhaps the chilli powder I purchased from a local Indian spice shop has a lot more heat than the powders available in the US...
The Melbourne weather being so interchangeable has been a fantastic excuse to start the soup season early this year. It's great to have a pot of soup ready for lunch days when there are no left-overs around. I must try this soup again with less chilli (will try 1 teaspoon for a half batch) as the other ingredients (especially a squeeze of lime juice at the end) make it an extremely flavoursome hearty meal.
I often have that problem with US recipes - I made burritos when I was young and first became vego. The recipe called for 2 tablespoons of chilli powder which I added - it was HOT!!!
ReplyDeleteI assume they have some kind of red pepper powder there which is way milder?
I agree with Penny, and would also add that there is also a bit of variation between chilli powders here anyway. I seem to have a pretty potent one too, I wouldn't use any more than a teaspoon of it in a 'serves 4-6' sized pot! And yet I have also seen plenty of American recipes using a tablespoon or two.
ReplyDeleteThanks Penny and Cindy, thought that might be the case but it's good to have it confirmed. I should have used more of my cooking common sense when I made this and started off with a smaller amount of chilli powder. You can always add more if necessary but you can't take it out ;)
ReplyDeleteWell I am a chilli wuss but these comments about US recipes now makes sense - I find Isa's recipes have heaps of chilli powder. Though we had curry chickpeas on the weekend that were so hot neither I nor E (who loves chilli) could eat them
ReplyDeleteChili powder is different in the US! It's almost like taco seasoning mix - NOT just crushed red pepper flakes like it is here. It's even spelled differently I believe. They use it over there to make chili... you know that stew/soup with beef, beans, tomato, veggies etc.
ReplyDeleteHahaha, it's so funny how many of us this has happened to, and how we're all slowly having our lightbulb moments!
ReplyDeleteMattheworbit, it's a good learning experience for us Aussies, as long as we don't continue to make the same mistake! I must try this soup again one day as it was pretty good, just a tad too spicy.
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