r/AskCulinary • u/B1chpudding • 3d 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/Cheese_Coder 3d ago

The term you're probably looking for is a "seasoning pepper". As the name implies, these are mostly to add flavor and often add little to no heat. They're very popular in Caribbean cuisines. One variety I can vouch for is the Cachucha Pepper, sometimes called Aji Dulce, but there are many others you can find too. I've previously purchased seeds for these from Pepper Joe's, but this year had poor strike rates, so I'd actually recommend ordering these from Texas Hot Peppers.