Fixin’ it Up

Hello again everyone and happy white day! I know I’m technically a day late for japan’s most chocolate-themed holiday but that’s just how my schedule panned out. And don’t worry, I’ve got the goods:

Boom Sauce’s Fix Up D’Heat chocolate and the trinidadian-style hot sauce from which it gets its name. Based on an old family recipe.

Today, I’m going to start with that sauce, so that I really know what I’m looking for when I taste it in the chocolate. So it only makes sense to take a closer look at its bottle:

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Chilli Project Padrons

Hey folks, I believe I promised to show you all the first of my sponsored recipes this weekend. So, to get things started, I’m going to take a look at what can be done with The Chilli Project‘s ๐Ÿ’ฐFatalii Chilli Salt๐Ÿ’ฐ.

A delightfully citrus-tinged, mellow and peppery, yellow chilli product which really brings out the freshness of my fried padrons.

And sure, I’ve talked about this appetiser in the past but never quite like this. Not with today’s blend of african chilli salt and earthy, indian spices, pushing the peppers’ own nuttiness to the next level, while also bringing forth subtle fruity hints which I never knew were there before.

If you like padrons, you’ll love this brand new take on them and, while they might not be in season right now, the middle of january is when I most often see them in stores. So there’s no easier time to give this dish a go!

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The New Moon

Happy new year, everyone! For the second time this month.

I’m well aware of how strange that might seem but this week’s post is a little bit different. Because it’s not just a late celebration of the julian new year, like my previous feature, but a spotlight on two chinese-style products, for the lunar one. Which took place a mere four days ago.

So, this time around, I’m actually on time. Here’s what I’ve got:

Dragon Salt from Tubby Tom and a special sauce from Chilli Bobs, which I’ll give you a closer look at in a moment or two.

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Cool Chocolates

Hey there everyone, it’s just gone easter but, today, I’d like to look at some chocolate anyway. A couple of bars from a creator we know well but haven’t previously seen any snacks from.

Yes, this week, I’m taking a look at Daddy Cool’s new chocolate line:

CoolChocs

Both white, this time around, but one with cranberries and a hint of habanero, while the other is clearly caramelised, making it the only chilli product of its kind. Both put their flavours first on the label but, on closer inspection of the chocolate, their peppers are also quite hard to miss:

CoolBars

Those spots of orange and red look like very generous hints to me. Yet flip them over and we can see that Daddy Cool’s have been just as generous with the fruit and fudge.

CoolBases

These chocolates are going to be fiery, certainly, but I expect that they’ll also be just as full of flavour.

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Caramelised Chocolate

Hey folks, it’s white day again. My favourite japanese chocolate-crafting holiday!

Plus, unlike in previous years, twenty-twenty’s white day falls on a saturday. A recipe day.

So, this time around, I’m going to be a little self-indulgent. I’m going to combine three things that I adore โ€“ Chocolate, chilli and slow roasting โ€“ in order to make some simple yet delicious, ginger and naga-flavoured, salted, caramelised white chocolates.

WChocDone

And I’m going to hope against hope that some of you feel like following suit. Since, despite the ease with which you can whip these rich, sweet, earthy, almost-nutty and entirely decadent treats up, simplicity does not equal speed.

Caramelisation doesn’t occur quickly and my chocolates do have a two hour cooking time. Their flavour is well worth that commitment, of course, but I could still see it putting a few people off.

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Salty Seconds

Greetings again, fiery food fans. Today’s feature comes, at least in part, from one of you. So, if you’re reading this, Verminskyi, thanks for the suggestion!

But, that said, I didn’t want to bring you all just one product this week. I’m not just showcasing the requested Wiltshire Chilli Farm salt.

No, I’m pairing it with a second product from an equally well known brand. Another naga salt, similarly-spiked with peppercorns to enhance both heat and flavour. This week, we’re looking at The Chilli Jam Man, too:

WCFCJMsalts

A second salt-based showdown to test Wiltshire’s โ€œfearless flavourโ€ oncemore and see how they fair against a more mainstream opponent.

Will their second salt knock it out of the park, like their milder chipotle sort, or will the Jam Man prove himself the fiercer rival? Read on to find out!

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A Salty Showdown

Happy tuesday again, folks. Today, it’s time for some seasoning.

Chilli salts, instead of sauces, this week and both from companies that we know well.

salts

The Mini Jar Company on the left, makers of salsa, chutney and a great, fiery peanut butter, making their return with an aji lemon (or lemondrop) sea salt.

And, on the right, Wiltshire Chilli Farm, sporting the same brown action lines that we saw on their Dark Habanero sauce for a chipotle salt. A product that promises to be a massive step down in heat from both that and ๐Ÿ”ฅ the last two items that I had from them ๐Ÿ”ฅ.

Two rather different product flavours โ€“ One bright and citrusy and the other rich and smoky โ€“ but a single product type all the same.

Let’s see what I make of them.

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Seven Pepper Tofu

Hey there everyone, it’s recipe time again and, this month, I’m keeping things simple. A simple recipe for one of my favourite chinese side dishes that shows off a non-chilli spice that I’ve not featured before.

But, more interestingly, today’s recipe doubles as a review. A test to see how other versions of the spice affect the heat and flavour of my dish. Because I bet you didn’t know that there were more than two breeds of pepercorn.

This time around, I’m going to feature a whopping seven in my salt and pepper tofu but don’t worry โ€“ I’m still going to make a batch with the standard black that we all know and love.

And, while I enjoy the dish as is, you can easily swap out the tofu for fried chicken bits if you fancy something with more meat. Or just a different texture since I know that, even at its crispiest, tofu isn’t for everyone.

I’m not going to tell you how to fry that chicken in this post but there’s always my chipotle korma one if you need some pointers.

And, with all that out of the way, let’s get started, shall we?

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