Chili enthusiasts, heat-seekers, and extreme eaters may indulge in their passion on one fiery day a year. International Hot and Spicy Foods Day features everything from habanero-eating competitions to recipe cook-offs. It also reignites the controversy over which chili pepper tops the official Scoville heat scale among dedicated connoisseurs.
Some celebrations are definitely daring. However, those who want their food to tickle their taste senses rather than make their eyes wet shouldn’t feel left out. We all like a little spice in our food, so what better day to introduce your family and friends to a new cuisine? Thai, Indian, Creole, and Caribbean cuisines are known for their fragrant ingredients, but many nations have their own favorites. Variety is the spice of life, after all.
Zhug With Potatoes
Most of us imagine a red liquid paste made from chili peppers when we think of hot sauce, but when we think of Yemen, we imagine something very different. Chefs in Yemen use a sauce that is not the brilliant red sauce most of us are used to in order to boost the spice of their food.
Coriander leaves and seeds are mashed with cardamom, cumin, parsley, and chili peppers before the combination is emulsified with vast quantities of olive oil to create a sauce known variously as zhug or sahawiq. Use a mortar and pestle instead of a food processor to pound the ingredients and bring out their true flavors. You can make your own batch of the unique sauce used in Chili Pepper Madness in just a few minutes with a few basic ingredients.
As an aside, McDonald Paper Supplies in Brooklyn or on the web sells a mortar and pestle along with thousands of other useful kitchen and culinary tools.
Now that the sauce is ready, you may serve it with anything you choose; however, we recommend sticking to dishes that pair well with a wide range of sauces. You should serve it with French fries or wedges, and if it’s too spicy, some milk.
Harissa Chicken
The red chili paste known as harissa is a mainstay in the cuisine of Tunisia and the rest of the Maghreb. It has a spicy, smoky, and peppery taste profile. It’s impossible to find a paste that can do as much as this one does in terms of flavoring and heating a broad range of foods.
In less than 10 minutes, you may have a strong paste that’s well worth the effort. Rehydrated dry chilies are then seeded and processed along with roasted red peppers, garlic, tomato paste, spices, and lemon juice. Once that’s done, your paste is finished cooking, and you can start playing with it.
We recommend flavoring your next chicken meal with harissa, a special sauce that can make even the most basic ingredients taste extraordinary. Suzy’s harissa grilled chicken is delicious, and it goes well with the couscous she provides on the side.
Kebda Iskandarani
The iconic Egyptian street meal kebda Iskandarani, also known as Alexandrian liver, has an eerie feel no matter the time of year or day. There’s nothing like the smell of sizzling liver being cooked by a talented street chef in one of Egypt’s bustling cities like Cairo or Alexandria. To add some heat to the meal, spicy ingredients like cumin, garlic, cardamom, and chili peppers are sprinkled on top while it fries. The long-awaited kebda Iskandarani, either in a sandwich or on its own with tahina dip and some bread, will be delivered by the street seller.
Spice junkies may complement their kebda with some fresh chili peppers. Not recommended for anyone easily overwhelmed by heat; trying this might change your mind about spicy cuisine for the rest of the year.
Red Jareesh
The Red Jareesh from the Qassim area of Saudi Arabia is a must-try if you’re looking for a genuinely unforgettable culinary adventure. For this recipe, which resembles oatmeal, you’ll need to smash wheat and then combine it with yogurt, onions, tomatoes, and a variety of spices—including a generous helping of red chili flakes—to get the desired level of heat.
You may try your hand at making this one-of-a-kind meal by following a straightforward recipe from Arabian Cuisine, which calls for frying onion, then heating it with chicken and kiri cheese, and then adding the wheat to be cooked until it reaches a thick consistency.
Mehagib Pie
Algeria’s mehagib pie is the way to go for any pie fan who also appreciates spicy cuisine. Famous for its delicate crust, this pie may be stuffed with anything from ground beef to cheese; nevertheless, many versions include ground chili peppers in the filling of their stewed vegetable versions. Mehagib pie, although still spicy, maybe more approachable due to the flaky, buttery crust.
A straightforward recipe for mehagib pie that may be made in one’s own kitchen has been supplied by Salma Khaled. There are a few fundamental steps involved in the procedure, such as first preparing the dough and then putting the filling components together.
You may now choose from a large selection of spicy dishes sourced from restaurants located around the region. While you are eating, have a glass of milk and some bread nearby in case the spicy food is too much for your taste buds to handle. This will allow you to be prepared in the event that it happens.
Don’t forget that McDonald Paper & Restaurant Supplies is your one-stop shop for all things related to International Hot and Spicy Food Day, so you can enjoy the holiday the most by getting ready in advance.
WE SAID THIS: Don’t Miss…Celebrate International Hot & Spicy Food Day With These Fiery Middle Eastern Dishes