The January Chilli Newsletter

I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year festive period and also managed to slip in some relaxation time to counter the socialising chaos that frequently occurs.

My family and I spent an enjoyable 10 days in Adelaide catching up with family and friends, and managed to squeeze in a peaceful three days on a house boat cruising up and down the River Murray.

Since we returned I have managed to put in more than the usual amount of time on the website and associated activities. You will see the fruits of these labours in the body of the newsletter below.

OK, let's get into it;

New Website Tool

I have dipped my toe a little further into the internet technology waters and implemented a new tool that will add a more social or community feel to the site.

What I am talking about is the ability for you, the subscriber, to upload chilli related photos and stories to the site that will be converted into an independent page on the site that you can then share with friends and family.

I uploaded a brief page to test the process and you can view that here.

The page from which you load your picture and text is located here or can be accessed from the Member Pics button in the menu bar on the left hand side of the page on most locations in the site.

So, come on - if you have a favourite chilli picture and/or a great chilli story load it up (it's a very simple process) and share it with other chillies-down-under.com subscribers.

Please give me your feedback and opinions on the value of this new feature. If the feedback on from you is good I will look at expanding the functionality much further.

P.S. All submissions are checked for appropriateness of content before they are converted to live web pages.

Chilli Recipe Collection Released

I have just released the first chillies-down-under.com recipe books.

This collection represents the cream of all the chilli recipes that I have either developed or collected over the last 23 years and represent cuisines from around the world.

Some of the features are;

>
• two of my most closely guarded recipes;
• • how to cook BBQ spare-ribs that melt in your mouth every time, and
  • the recipe for a truly amazing Satay Sauce that I was taught in Sulawesi, Indonesia.
• hyperlinks to the web that show you what all unusual ingredients and techniques are
• the full backing of my no loopholes, more than your money back satisfaction guarantee
• a further more than your money back that these recipes will never be published anywhere else by me

The sales page for this collection is here. This may seem a little excessive to you but please remember I am also trying to sell these to people that have no prior association with chillies-down-under.com.

You can download a sample version of one of the books here

No, this newsletter is not going to turn into a sales letter. It will remain as it currently is with the exception that I will, occasionally, make you aware of a new product or special offer.

Why am I doing this. That's simple - if the site is able to generate enough funds to cover it's ongoing costs and a little extra for expansion then I can justify spending more time improving the site (and I do have a lot more ideas to come)

There are a number of testimonials on the page from subscribers and I very recently received this one from David Espie

"I did page 41 from your recipe book 2, Spicy Coconut Pumpkin.

The result? This is one beautiful dish. I didn't feel like having it over rice, so I served it with boiled potatos and grilled chicken breast.

When my Wife tried it she loved it so much that she wasn't going to let any of that juice get away. She soaked it up with bread to finish off.

It is a perfect addition to chicken and it warms beautifully without being overpowered by chilli.

I highly recommend this recipe to any of your readers. It is wonderful and it is very easy to make. The way it's explained I don't think you could stuff it up.

Excellent fare Nigel. 10 out of 10. Thank you. I look forward to the rest of the book with excitement."

Best regards, David Espie.

So, please, have look - it would make great gift to someone (even if that is you). here.

Chillies & Testosterone - Dangerous

And when alcohol is thrown into the mix, the men exaggerate even more.

Writing for ABC News, corresponent Roger Kaplinsky-Dwarika visited curry houses in the Hammersmith area of London and quoted a 22-year-old partyer named Jon, who said it was a “lad thing” to have a few drinks and then “go off for a steaming curry—the hotter the better.”

His friend Ken agreed: “A guy has to be seen to show off to his friends, and if he can’t do that with an expensive car or a nice house, then the thing to do, it seems, is to eat the hottest chiles in front of his friends."

The theory of Richard Wiseman, a senior psychologist at the University of Hertsfordshire, is that such behavior has to do without our evolutionary past. “Males who exhibited the the greatest ability to withstand pain stood a better chance of attracting more females,” he said.

The lad magazine Maxim’s feature editor, Martin Robinson, agrees. “Consuming the hottest chiles in a genetically competitive sense of the word can be dated back to the primitive ages through evolution and men are, by nature, competitive. The bad news is this behavior shows no sign of abatement.”

I guess that let's us guys use the excuse that "it's not our fault!" (maybe - Nigel)

Why Are There Different Colour Chillies ?

In fruit cells, chlorophyll molecules absorb blue and red light which means that green light is reflected (which is why the fruit are green) Also, molecules of anthocyanins and carotin are present in smaller quantities in the fruit and reflect yellow and red/purple respectively.

In most plants, chlorophyll is present in massively greater quantities and completely masks other pigments during the active growing stage. Chlorophyll is unstable and has to be replaced regularly throughout the life of the plant.

As the summer turns to autumn, shorter days and cooler temperatures trigger the formation of a water-proof, cork-like substance, suberin, in a layer between the cells at the stem of the fruit. This layer progressively reduces the flow of nutrients into the leaf and chlorophyll production ceases.

Shorter days and cooler temperatures also trigger the plant to produce ethylene (a simple gas) which in turn triggers the production of several different enzymes.

These enzymes perform a number of functions in the fruit. One of these is the break down of starches into sugars, which is why ripe chillies are sweeter than the green equivalent. Other processes are the break down of pectin (the glue between the fruit cells) making the chillies softer and the break down of acids eliminating the sour taste that green fruit can have.

With the reduction in nutrients, the chlorophyll breaks down and this enables the previously masked carotene and/or anthocyanin pigments to show through. In some chillies, the anthocyanin levels are very high as the result of a secondary action of simple sugars in the presence of sunlight (which is why fruits ripen red, orange or purple on the sunny side).

Chillies with increased levels of anthocyanins in their leaves turn red or red-dish purple when the chlorophyll has broken down.

So, Rather like an artist mixing primary colours on his palette, the presence of the two main groups of pigments - the flavonoids, including anthocyanins, give yellow through red to blue and the carotenoids – carotin which give yellow through to orange. These are then split into numerous colour pigments such as cyanin (red), pelargonidin (brick red), delphinidin (blue) etc.

Anthocyanin is also fascinating because it yields different colours according to pH of the liquid within the pigment bearing cells. The same pigment molecule gives us blue in Purple Tiger chillies when cell contents are alkaline and red in Jalapenos when the cell contents are acid.

The colour can remain almost stable through the life of the chilli or may change markedly. This serves as an indicator to birds whether the chilli is ready to eat or not as birds are not affected by the capsaicin heat and are the primary agent for the spreading of chilli seeds in the wild.

Invest In Chillies ?

The Africa Invest fund due to be launched by CRU early next year will invest in Malawian farms that grow the chillies, raise living standards of the rural population and help boost economic growth in one of the world's poorest countries.

Jon Maguire, chief executive at CRU said the risk for investors is no higher than in any other emerging market and that politicians were behind the project as the fund would employ local people.

"We're going to major in high value exports like Birds Eye chillies and paprika," Maguire told Reuters on Monday. "If you are hunting for value, Africa has it."

Birds Eye chillies, commonly used in preparation of spicy foods, sell at $5,000 a tonne and paprika at $2,000 a tonne, Maguire said. That compares with $370 a tonne for European wheat.

The minimum investment for retail investors is 4,000 pounds (2,000 pounds) through an AAA-rated note which guarantees the original capital.

The retail market can invest through a tax-free individual savings accounts (ISA).

For every 1,000 pounds of money invested, 14 Malawians become engaged in the economy," Maguire said.

"The developing world is starting to buy meat, 50 percent of all grain production goes to feed cattle," he said.

The fund is also planning three paprika processing plants, which will boost the value of its crop.

"We're forecasting returns of 30-to-40 percent. Processing will push that number even higher," Maguire said, adding that there was more political risk in Russia.

"Malawi is an emerging market, it has risks like any other ... But politically it's quite stable as it is a multiparty democracy ... The European Union and Britain have a major presence in the country."

Africa, Maguire said, is the last bit of the world economic jigsaw puzzle.

"China is going to mop up in Africa, if Europe is not careful. Europe has been slow to make friends in Africa."

Please note: chillies-down-under.com is not providing financial advice regarding this product and is in no way qualified to provide any financial advice or recommendations.

I just loved the story and the concept.

Kylie Kwong Interview

The reputation of Chinese cuisine has taken a tremendous battering over the years, to the point where it's no longer considered a serious cuisine. Luckily, a few heavy duty supporters such as Kylie Kwong have provided some much-needed positive PR.

Kwong says 90 per cent of the Chinese food we eat here is Cantonese. "It's the most popular regional cuisine because it's the most accessible for Westerners. They like the flavours of sweet and salty," she says.

While lamenting the corruption of Cantonese cuisine, Kwong confesses that her own favourite regional Chinese cuisine is not Cantonese, but the "spicy, hot and peppery" food from Sichuan. "I really love peppercorns, the chilli, the hot dynamics of the food," she says.

We have been "rather slow" in understanding what real Chinese food is about, Kwong says. "It has gathered a rather low opinion, but actually it's sophisticated and beautiful."

On the other hand, she says she found much to admire in rustic cooking she observed while travelling. "The cuisine in the village is simple and modest, but they can make amazing dishes, such as potatoes with duck sausage and chilli – so tasty! I bought a pumpkin from the markets and they

quickly took it and stir-fried it with ginger and black beans, making it something else entirely. So many of these dishes come about from need – they create a poverty food culture. It's admirable the way they can take something bland and ordinary and transform it into something special."

Kwong says she was "mad about" a type of wild green weed she discovered in China and was thrilled by the freshness of the food in general. "I saw the most beautiful sesame oil in the markets – black and white – being freshly roasted and ground in front of you into oil," she says.

One of the cultural influences that has survived no matter how far the cuisine has travelled is the shared meal.

No Chinese dish is ever plated individually. "It stems from very strong family ethic, with baby, mother and grandparents eating together. Chinese food is constructed in a way so that there is lots of flavour-matching; a careful choice of what dish follows another and there may be as many as 10 dishes, so it makes sense to share," Kwong says.

"It's convivial and social and eating little morsels with chopsticks, just a couple of pieces each, is very healthy as well as being interesting, as every mouthful is different."

A big fan of the chopstick, Kwong confesses she even eats her lettuce with the utensils.

She's is a great chef - Nigel

January's Recipes

Cucumber Raita

• 1 tablsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspblack mustard seeds
• 20 fresh curry leaves
• 1 cup thick, Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1 vine-ripened tomato, seeds removed, and finely chopped
• 1 green chilli (cayenne or similar), de-seeded and finely chopped

Heat the oil in a small, dry frying pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and cook for 1 minute until the seeds start to pop.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cool, place the yoghurt in a bowl, then fold in the onion tomato and chilli.

Season to taste with salt and finely ground pepper, then fold in the mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Chill until needed and serve with a curry.

Michelle's Hot Tomato Chutney

• 3 oranges
• 2 kg ripe tomatoes
• 1 ½ cups malt vinegar
• 1 kg sugar
• juice of 4 limes or lemons
• 500 g sultanas
• 100 g finely minced ginger root
• 100 g finely minced garlic
• 3 tbsp chilli powder
• 6 tsp salt
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 cloves

Finely peel the orange rind, then cut it into thin strips. Chop the tomatoes and cook in a preserving pan until soft.

Seive with a little of the vinegar to remove seeds and skin.

Put the tomato pulp back into the pan withthe sugar and the lime juice. Cook until the mixture thickens, then add the sultanas, ginger, garlic, chilli powder, salt and remaining vinegar.

Cook slowly, stirring thoroughly, until the mixture starts to thicken, then add the cinnamon stick and the cloves.

Keep stirring until the mixture is thick. Add the orange peel just before removing from stove. Pour into sterilised jars and seal.

OK, that's it for this month.

I truly look forward to travelling through the food and flavours of 2008 with you.

Wishing you a life full of flavour

Nigel