Bird's eye pepper (Thai chili) is one of the varieties of chilli peppers. Cultivated in Southeast Asia. It has a strong spicy taste (100-225 thousand hotness units on the Scoville scale). It is used in cooking exclusively as a spice and seasoning.
calories
100 grams of fresh chili contains about 40 kcal.
Compound
The chemical composition of chili peppers is characterized by a high content of proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins (A, B3, B4, B9, C, K), macro- (potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus) and microelements (iron, manganese, copper) .
How to cook and serve
Thai chili is one of the most popular ingredients in the national cuisines of a number of countries in Southeast Asia. In particular, in Vietnam, this food product is actively used in the preparation of a number of soups, salads and hot second courses, meat and seafood sauces. In turn, in Thai cuisine, bird's eye pepper is valued for its fruity taste, which is why this vegetable is often added to salads and stews of meat and rice. In this case, not only fresh, but also dried peppers are used.
What is combined with
How to choose
When choosing Thai chili, you should pay attention to the condition of the skin of the fruit. It should be smooth and evenly colored, without containing any cosmetic defects and mechanical damage.
Storage
In a plastic bag placed in the refrigerator, Thai chili can be stored for up to one week. You can extend the shelf life up to several months by drying. In this form, Thai chili should be stored in an airtight container in a dark, cool place with good ventilation.
Beneficial features
The chemical composition of Thai chili contains a huge amount of biologically active substances, which gives this food product a lot of useful properties. In particular, the regular use of this vegetable has an immunostimulating, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-carcinogenic effect, and also prevents the occurrence and development of a number of diseases of the cardiovascular and central nervous systems.
Use restrictions
Individual intolerance, hypersensitivity of the gastrointestinal tract, a tendency to allergic reactions, inflammatory diseases of the digestive system.
Hot pepper with the interesting name "bird's eye" is one of the most widely used spices in the national cuisines of Southeast Asian countries. It pairs well with meat, seafood, rice and of course other spices such as coriander, fennel, turmeric, cardamom and cumin. If we analyze the chemical composition of a vegetable, then the content of biologically active substances in it is not huge. This rewards the food product with a host of useful properties.
strange name
"Bird's eye", or Thai pepper, is most common in Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines and neighboring Asian countries, but especially in Thailand. Hence one of its names. Now it can be found all over the world. Presumably this pepper got its name from the small, tapering, downward-pointing tiny fiery fruits, so similar to the eyes of birds.
According to another version - it is the birds that spread the seeds of the "bird's eye" pepper. The photo confirms that its burning sharpness does not work on these birds.
What is "bird's eye"
During ripening, the fruit of the pepper acquires a light green hue. When fully ripe, it turns into a bright red. The fruits reach 2.5 cm in length and about 1 cm in diameter. The growing process can take over 120 days as the plants reach a height of up to two meters. Spicy and burning "bird's eye" is added to many soups, sauces, pastas. In addition to the characteristic pungent smell and taste, another interesting property is that it facilitates digestion. Hot pepper contains a noticeable amount of vitamins - more than a vegetable of sweet varieties. It has a large amount of vitamin C (but it loses it during drying), but pepper is also rich in vitamins A, B, D, P, B2, E, K.
Burning
This is a very hot pepper. "Bird's Eye" on the Scoville scale is estimated at 50,000 - 100,000 units. This is 20 times more than jalapenos, but three times less than habaneros. The burning sensation can creep up unnoticed, as it slowly, gradually appears in the process of eating, and remains for a long time even after you stop eating. The chemical compound that causes the burning sensation in hot chili peppers is capsaicin. It is found mainly in the white pulp and seeds on the inside of the pepper. The effects of this compound can vary from person to person, however, most of them experience a burning sensation in the mouth, throat, and stomach when ingested. To reduce the intensity of the burning sensation, fluids with a high fat content should be consumed. Water will not bring any relief. Milk is the most recommended antidote. Skin contact will also cause irritation and burning. When preparing and handling chili peppers, people should wear gloves and avoid touching other parts of the body. Capsaicin can remain on the hands and body for several hours. You will be in for a nasty surprise if you don't wear gloves and inadvertently touch your eyes or lenses! Some may experience an allergic reaction: redness of the eyes, watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing and coughing. The skin can be wiped with milk or washed with baby shampoo to relieve burning and irritation.
Assistant in the kitchen, in medicine and agriculture
Chili is very popular in Thai cuisine, as well as cuisines from the Asian countries mentioned above, which are distinguished by the wide use of a variety of fire spices. They are widely used in seasonings for fish or other seafood, as well as for non-vegetable dishes. Bird's eye pepper improves immunity, acts as an antioxidant, has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, participates in the prevention of cancer, and has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. In medicine, it is also valued for its beneficial properties: it relieves arthritis pain, helps with stomach problems, relieves bloating and reduces toothache. "Bird's eye" is used in agriculture. Crushed peppers can be mixed with water and used to control harmful insects, replacing pesticides.
Hot sauce with chili "bird's eye"
Even if you're not a big fan of spicy, having a bottle of homemade sauce handy at home is handy.
Cooking time - 25 minutes
Yield: about one glass
Ingredients: two tomatoes, two red bell peppers, sixteen small cloves of garlic, one and a half cups of bird's eye chili, a glass of white vinegar, two tbsp. tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil, one tbsp. a spoonful of sugar, one tbsp. a spoonful of salt.
- Bake tomatoes and bell peppers in the oven. Take out and let cool.
- Then put the garlic cloves in the pan and fry for a couple of minutes. Cool down.
- In a blender, mix garlic, tomatoes, bell peppers together with chili peppers. Add water and mix again.
- Pour the resulting mixture into a saucepan along with oil, vinegar, salt and sugar. Boil for about 5 minutes.
- Once completely cooled, taste for salt and add if required.
- Pour the sauce into a container. Cover and leave for a few days to help the flavors blend better.
- Strain through a sieve and pour into a suitable container. The sauce is ready.
Since spicy Thai dishes have become very popular, this variety of chili is available all year round. An adequate substitute for fresh peppers are dried pods or crushed ones.
Scientists have found that bird's eye pepper has been known since ancient times. Its traces have been found in the excavations of settlements in Peru and Bolivia. Distinctive features of the fruits of this plant are small size, very pungent taste and the absence of a pronounced peppery aroma.
Where does it grow
The plant has several well-known names. Most often it is commonly referred to as the "bird's eye". This is due to the fact that the bright fruits of this hot pepper are very attractive to birds.
It is believed that it was the birds that helped this plant spread to Mexico. Then people cultivated wild chili and got a varietal "bird's eye". Under cultural conditions, the fruits have acquired a more rounded shape and a size of about 1 cm in length.
Application in cooking
Peppers such as "bird's eye" should be used with great care. Indeed, due to excessive pungency, you can spoil the whole dish. Most often, this seasoning is added to various sauces, soups and salads.
Usually, the fruits are finely chopped and, in their raw form, complement the dish with them to give additional piquancy and spiciness. Sometimes the fruits cut into small strips are dried, fried, pounded in a mortar and only then added to the finished dish.
Sauces, to which "bird's eye" is added, go well with meat and vegetable dishes of many national cuisines, because this pepper has an original aroma with hints of citrus, walnut and light smoke.
In general, this seasoning is used to prepare traditional Mexican soups and borscht. In this case, the fruits are added directly to the pan during heat treatment. Unground peppers are also put in vodka tincture and for making spicy tabasco ketchup.
In ground form, this miniature chili pepper is usually added to kefir, yogurt, salad, rice and egg dishes.
Combination with other spices
The scope of seasoning is very wide. Some housewives are happy to use pepper for home preservation of vegetables and cooking meat dishes. The severity of the hotness of this pepper on the scale of W. Scoville is quite moderate, which allows them to season dishes from legumes and various side dishes.
World-famous culinary experts recommend combining bird's eye pepper with garlic, turmeric, coriander, bay leaf, fennel and. It is advisable to add ground pepper at the very beginning of cooking or a few minutes before the end of the process.
Benefit and harm
The very high content of various trace elements and vitamins allows this small "bird's eye" to be widely used for the treatment and prevention of many diseases. Traditional healers recommend the use of seasoning in food for the following disorders:
- nervous system - with insomnia, depression, nervous disorders;
- with rheumatic and muscular pains and atherosclerosis;
- infectious diseases of the gums and oral cavity, with bleeding;
- with angina and colds, as well as to increase the body's resistance in the winter;
- for the normalization of intestinal microflora;
- with reduced appetite and digestive disorders;
- with bronchial asthma and circulatory disorders;
- for the prevention of cancer.
Contraindications for the use of a bird's eye are:
- chronic diseases of the liver and kidneys;
- exacerbation of nervous disorders;
- chronic and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- diabetes.
With caution and in limited quantities, the fruits of this plant should be eaten by pregnant and lactating women, as well as people suffering from allergies. In this case, it would be useful to consult a doctor.
What do our beautiful girls like in their country house? Of course, flowers! No garden is complete without lovingly planted favorite flowers, many of which we grow as seedlings. And what do men in the country love? Of course, boast of green cucumbers, dill, tomatoes and peppers. So I really wanted to surprise my beloved this year, so that later, in turn, he could tell his neighbors and his friends how well done he is, so original. After all, he grows a wonderful pepper, but not a simple, special one, and his name is Bird's eye (Bird's eye). The fruits of this small-sized little thing are acute-angled, light red in color. Although it is small, only about 1 cm to 2.5 cm, it has quite a burning taste! It is used in cooking (sauces, salsas, soups, salads), as a seasoning and adding to ready meals. It also has medicinal properties, it is used for toothache, stomach pain and ailments. But it is not only suitable for eating itself pepper, but also its greens. Of all types of pepper, this baby has substances useful for birds, making their plumage more saturated in color. It is also called Thai, although it comes from Mexico. The basic rule for hot pepper is the smaller the pod, the more pungent.Silicon red chili peppers are rich in vitamins A, C, D, B, B6, beta-carotene. Of the trace elements they include: iron, magnesium, sodium, potassium. As well as essential oils, fatty oils and capsaicin. Long I have searched for seeds in specialized stores and garden centers, but to no avail. My dream would never come true to grow this curiosity, but there is always a way out. In an ordinary grocery store, among the spices, there were boxes with different peppers and my dear among them. Yes, I would also like to say, in my opinion, my future wit probably looks like the eyes of the sacred bird myna, he is mynashka. A vain, noisy starling bird! Well, about growing peppers.
I take pepper seeds and for an accelerated germination process I put them between a couple of moistened napkins for 4-5 days for germination. I prepare fertile land with the addition of vermiculite. As soon as the swollen seeds begin to germinate, I sow them in a shallow box approximately from each other at a distance of 5 cm to a depth of 0.5 cm. This distance is done to avoid stretching young shoots. As soon as my seedlings showed the first leaves, I try to give additional artificial light. When two true leaves appear, I start transplanting into shallow containers with a diameter of 10 cm. When the pepper reaches a height of 10-15 cm. transplanted into pots or greenhouses. In a greenhouse in the ground, they grow faster and more than in pots, but in pots you can freely transfer them in the fall to a balcony or an apartment to a window. We feed the pepper in the same way as the tomatoes.
Adjika from Chile
We take 500g of bell peppers and the same amount of tomatoes, grind everything into a puree. Add two tablespoons of salt, one tablespoon of paprika and one teaspoon of suneli hops to the mass. Crushed in a blender six cloves of garlic and fresh horseradish root in the amount of 25 gr. mix with our puree. Lastly, add 4-5 pieces of finely chopped chili pepper. We defend the resulting seasoning for half an hour before direct use. If you want to leave adjika for future use, it is recommended to transfer it to sterilized jars and roll it up in the usual way. For long-term storage, more horseradish and chili should be used.
mexican chicken
We take a medium-sized chicken, cut into small pieces, fry until golden brown. We make a mixture of 4 tbsp. spoons of soy sauce and 2 tbsp. spoons of cognac (or other strong alcohol) and simmer the bird in it over low heat until the moisture has completely evaporated. Grind the onion head, two chili peppers (or to your taste) and four bell peppers. Add a tablespoon of grated ginger, two anise stars to the vegetables and spread the resulting mass to the meat for further frying. In the meantime, dilute half a tablespoon of starch (or rice flour) in water, pour into a dish and simmer everything until the bird is ready. Bon appetit!
Here in such a package, but so many seeds !!!
