These days, an early morning bike ride sets your teeth chattering and leaves your fingers icy. To wrap them around a warm cuppa, is sometimes just not enough. You need something a little more intense to seep into the bones. Like the ingredient that sits in my kitchen – the interestingly shaped and named Trinidad Scorpion Green. I was introduced to it only a few weeks ago by the lady with the green thumb, Chitra Krishnasamy, who has turned her terrace into a bountiful kitchen garden. It’s an absolute delight to talk to someone who is so eager to share her knowledge and experience. As I walked on her terrace, the plump, knobbly chillies drew my attention. Chitra said they were called nei mozhagai in Tamil. I remembered that I had seen them at the Orchard Shop in Race Course. They were being sold as “ghee chillies”.
Chitra generously shared some of the chillies with me. Green chillies are a favourite with me and they find their way in most of my Indian dishes. I assumed these ‘ghee chillies’ would just be a tad hotter than the usual ones. How wrong I was. Within minutes of it being added to the gravy, a mouth-watering aroma of warm ghee emanated from my dish.
Initially, Chitra was of the impression that this chilli was the Trinidad Morago Scorpion, which currently ranks as the hottest chilli in the world. The size and shape of the two are almost alike. While this one does pack a punch, it was still highly palatable and not that fiery. After a little research we found out that it was the slightly cooler cousin of the Trinidad morago scorpion. They are both native to Trinidad and Tobago and are identified by a crumply, dimpled outer skin and the tip which ends in a long sharp curl like that of a scorpion’s sting. Only the colours vary. The hot one is a fire engine red.
The flavours of my palak paneer and channa masala were considerably elevated. And I would hate to make these dishes without the nei mozhaghai the next time. So, I have to grow them in my kitchen garden.
You don’t have to chop these chillies. Make sure you make a small incision in the side before adding it to the curry, otherwise it may explode. Since the food I cook is medium spicy, I just use one of the chilli to accentuate the flavour and not overpower the dish.
The finished dish is flavoured with the spicy juices of the chilli. At the end of the meal, there remains just one more task. Who gets the chilli? I believe it is the cook’s prerogative! Squash the chilli, pull apart the spicy membranes from the skin and add it into a scoop of yoghurt. The squelch of it as the outer part yields and squirts the remaining bit of chilli water onto the plate is a special experience.
(Read more about food on Shanthini’s website >www.pinklemontreerecipes.com )
