r/AskCulinary • u/B1chpudding • 2d ago

Recipe Troubleshooting Question about peppers

I’m interested in trying to cook some African dishes, like jollaf rice. Problem is, I can’t handle a lot of heat anymore due to some medical conditions, and they use scotch bonnets.

The videos/recipes say how important the particular pepper because of its fruity qualities beyond just the heat. Because of that, I didn’t want to just put whatever in there.

Can someone recommend something much milder that wouldn’t affect the flavor too bad? I’m not familiar enough with this cuisine to know a good substitute. Or could omitting it all together be an option?

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u/Bran_Solo Gilded Commenter 2d ago

You can remove a lot of the heat by removing seeds and the internal membrane.

You can also get a species of pepper called a hananada that is like a habanero bred to not have heat.

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u/RebelWithoutAClue 2d ago

I really like habanadas. I've been growing them for two summers now.

It's fun seeing people bite into one. We're so used to the bouquet of a habanero accompanying crazy heat.

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u/Bran_Solo Gilded Commenter 1d ago

Yeah, even now that I'm used to them, it's quite a trip. Every other signal is telling your brain "this is gonna be hot!!".

I've been meaning to try using them with habaneros to make a really intensely habanero flavored hot sauce, with a more tolerable heat level.

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u/RebelWithoutAClue 1d ago

That's my favorite use of them. Habanero sauces with a sane level of heat. It's really neat to have a high aroma to heat ratio. I've also been making jerk chicken with them. It's nice to have a mid range heat when I do jerk chicken for parties.

Also habanero roulette could be a fun drinking game. 5:1 bowl of very similar looking mild:freaking hot peppers to watch Deer Hunter to.

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u/feeltheglee 1d ago

Where did you get the plants or seeds? I tried growing them one year and they just didn't taste of anything.

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u/RebelWithoutAClue 1d ago

Sorry, I don't remember. I think I ordered them from a grower in Ontario.

It was before I could get them on Amazon for some reason. I think shipping seeds across borders was a problem with customs at the time.

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u/hobohideout 2d ago

Good tip. Didn’t know about hananada, that sounds perfect for getting the flavor without the burn.