They didn't read rule number 2

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071003/ap_ ... picy_chili

I love this. Confirms every stereotype I hold about the British and food.

Confirms every stereotype I hold about the British and food.

You mean the ones about their poor ventilation systems..

Oh I love it...

Rule Number 2 ? Were there beans involved ? :)

Celia

That could have been a VERY explosive combination.

I would like to have tasted the dish.

It's an ingredient, actually. And nothing to do with chili con carne. I've done temporary damage to my lungs by bending over the wok while cooking Thai Mahogany Fire Noodles, which starts by stir-frying 30 minced bird chiles and 10 minced garlic cloves.

There was a similar incident in the USA many years ago where a shopping mall was evacuated due to fumes, and the cause turned out to be a Cajun restaurant in the mall, one of whose cooks had put a pan of out-of-control burning chiles outside to air out, but he inadvertently put it in front of one of the air intakes for the mall's ventilation system.

-Paul W.

Paul,

I wonder what advantage 30 bird chiles would have over 5, 10 or 20? I have cooked Thai dishes with them and used the specified # the first time. Burning throat and bronchoconstriction forced me to quit the prep and ever since I am sensetized to any chile vapor- raw or cooked and must be very careful when cooking- one of the reasons I got a dual fan Vent-a-hood.
Basically, at what # does more no longer make a difference? Is is heat or other flavors that require those industrial strength quantities? I truly can't tell subtle taste differences with all that heat - and I have an "asbestos palate" when it comes to chiles.

For Mahogany Fire Noodles you mash the chiles (30) and the garlic cloves (10) into a paste, traditionally in a mortar and pestle. The volume of chiles contributes texture and color as well as heat. Could you get the same effect with, say, 10 bird chiles and 20 of a milder sort? I don't know.

-Paul W.

I must find these rules.

The most important one I've encountered is making absolutely sure you wash your hands VERY well before going to the bathroom after chopping peppers.

By the way, my eyes tear up when they are processing garlic down the road, but I try not to say it like it's a bad thing.