Spicy food
Jun 28th 2012, 2:48 am
#16
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,847
Re: Spicy food
It seems here in Phoenix valley area there are plenty of 'Mexican style' dishes in plenty of 'restaurant style' buildings...
... And my Hispanic co-workers claim they are mostly pooh. Not at all authentic.
... And my Hispanic co-workers claim they are mostly pooh. Not at all authentic.
Jun 28th 2012, 2:53 am
#17
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Joined: Nov 2002
Location: Where bad things rarely happen in movies
Posts: 8,933
Re: Spicy food
Apparently no-one can make real Mexican food like the Texans.....even the Mexicans!
Jun 28th 2012, 9:26 pm
#20
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Joined: Dec 2004
Location: Chicago
Posts: 2,425
Re: Spicy food
Get yourself a bottle of Sriracha. Problem solved.
Jun 28th 2012, 9:29 pm
#21
Rootbeeraholic
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 2,280
Re: Spicy food
I certainly find it a lot tamer here. Most of the Indian restaurants here, the heat is only just noticeable...
There's a decent Thai place for lunch near my work and I have to tell them to make it extra hot for me. They do pack a decent punch though.
I'm all over spicy food, but agree about the needless heat that destroy's tastebuds. In the UK I avoid Vindaloo for that reason, it's normally done in such a way you just can't taste it. I love spicy food, but I like to be able to actually taste what I'm eating.
There's a decent Thai place for lunch near my work and I have to tell them to make it extra hot for me. They do pack a decent punch though.
I'm all over spicy food, but agree about the needless heat that destroy's tastebuds. In the UK I avoid Vindaloo for that reason, it's normally done in such a way you just can't taste it. I love spicy food, but I like to be able to actually taste what I'm eating.
Jun 28th 2012, 9:44 pm
#22
He/him
Joined: Dec 2006
Location: WA
Posts: 18,854
Re: Spicy food
(Anyone had a Vindaloo in Portugal? I wonder what they have to say about it)
Jun 28th 2012, 10:12 pm
#23
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Location: Temecula, CA
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Re: Spicy food
The very first time I had a vindaloo was in Vegas a couple of weeks ago - in the knowledge that it would most likely be tame, which it was! Yes, as I say, food should be naturally spicy/hot, not artificially spiced up for the sake of it.
That's why I like Thai food - ground chillies for the red/green Thai curries, but there's so much other flavour in there that heat is just a part of the whole experience.
Funny how British food is supposed to be bland.
That's why I like Thai food - ground chillies for the red/green Thai curries, but there's so much other flavour in there that heat is just a part of the whole experience.
Funny how British food is supposed to be bland.
Jun 29th 2012, 8:14 am
#24
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Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 13,144
Re: Spicy food
http://birdchili.wordpress.com/2009/...hai-condiment/
Some Mexican / Southwestern places here in Scottsdale will offer a roasted chilli on the side, or if you are lucky will just serve one with your dish. The picture below is from one of my favorite places in Cave Creek (just north of Scottsdale) called El Encanto. The dish itself is a very unusual combo that includes lamb, of all things. Absolutely fantastic!
Edit to add - I recently discovered a new spice at a very authentic Szechuan (Sichuan?) place in Pleasant Hill, CA. The spice is the most unusual thing I've tasted in decades (and I go out of my way to find new flavors all the time). This stuff numbs the tongue and triggers you to salivate in a very, very odd way at first - but as you eat more, you start loving it. Was banned in the US for some time, but this place is importing them and using them. Absolutely amazing stuff!
One guy on this page describes it as follows ... "It's like that sensation you get testing a nine volt battery with your tongue, combined with weird waves of numbness, hyper-saltiness, buzzing, and all kinds of other things fighting for control of your taste buds"
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/chin...peppercorn.htm
The restaurant in Pleasant Hill is Sichuan Fortune House, and is one of the best Chinese restaurants I've ever been to! Second picture below is one of my favorite dishes there - can't remember the name, but it's deep fried intestines (
) with lots o' chillies, both dried and fresh, with of course the Chinese Peppercorns ... It's restaurants like this that convince me I can never leave the Bay Area ...
Last edited by Steerpike; Jun 29th 2012 at 8:37 am.
Jun 30th 2012, 7:50 pm
#25
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2012
Location: Colorado
Posts: 154
Re: Spicy food
All of my curries are home-made these days. I've given up on the restaurants.
However, I developed quite a thing for Mexican and Tex-Mex while in Texas, and a decent place can usually be found in most cities. Of course, it's usually based on jalapenos and serranos, but it has a good kick. It's not the same, but good Mexican is better than terrible Indian
However, I developed quite a thing for Mexican and Tex-Mex while in Texas, and a decent place can usually be found in most cities. Of course, it's usually based on jalapenos and serranos, but it has a good kick. It's not the same, but good Mexican is better than terrible Indian
