Presidential leadership headline

Let’s take a look at a male rite of passage gaining popularity around the world. In some places like Andhra Pradesh, daily consumption of hot chilies is taken for granted. But the latest challenge to manhood, as Chase Michal tells us, is scorching good fun.

Young lads around the world have made a concerted decision that braving the path of sweat and pain is far better than drinking competitions. Chilies are the inevitable and perfect substitute for the manly competition of seeing who can hold down the most liquor before passing out. Not only is the act of eating chilies more civilized, there are far more numerous situations where chilies are an appropriate source of testosterone measurement.

In Laos, bird’s eye chilies or chili padi are so small they rarely grow past your first knuckle. But young Laotian monks have weekly competitions with these fiery chopped peppers in soy sauce or fish sauce. These salty condiments together with chilies serve to whet the appetite for their otherwise bland and restrictive vegan diets. The difficulty in predicting the hotness of chilies from their appearance adds much surprise to daily meals. Shouts ring out in the courtyard as they dash for water, one by one. The goal is to eat the greatest number of chilies without water in one meal; the record is 72. Painful tongues, swollen lips and fiery stomachs make it difficult to sit and meditate, and causing such painful trouble for each other is an endless source of amusement.

Water is rarely a big help to get rid of burning tongues and watering eyes, as party goers in Manchester, England are finding out. The heat comes from capsaicin, stored in the form of volatile oils, especially in chili seeds. When chewed, or touched, these oils are released and they get stuck on the tongue.

Starchy foods, such as bread, noodles or pretzels are far better for removing these oils than water, beer or juice. If water is all that is available, hot water is more painful to drink, but it works better than cold liquids.

England is a country filled with curry lovers, but the trend towards eating whole chili peppers among young men is an amusing new party game. This is the land where Scotch bonnet peppers are used in lamb curries and chicken stews to turn Indian food into impossibly hot dishes to please the British palate.

For young guys gathering at a friend’s house for a game of billiards or catching up on the latest action films released on DVD, miniature chocolate bars and other candy are added with whole chilies to the gorp bowl. Then the party planners wait for the guys to explode straight out of their seats after eating a ‘spiked’ handful! Generally, the rules are as follows.

They can take the challenge to eat another without anything to soothe the pain, they can eat more candy as a delay tactic or they can choose to be a LOSER and not be daring enough to try another handful. The guy who can take the most pain is, of course, the man of the night.

In Texas, USA, there are also one-on-one challenges, sort of like arm wrestling for the mouth. Here lies ground zero for chili variety; ranging from grilled poblanos and serranos, to pickled bird’s eye and jalapenos. Guys at BBQ stands inhale a few pounds of chops, bacon, trifle and sausages before they remember to breathe…if only so that they can yell in pain. The pain doesn’t last long because the other spices and smoky flavor of Texan BBQ neutralizes much of the heat. Then the guys go back to inhaling meat products, challenging each other to eat more of the hot links until one of the two guys can’t take it any longer.

It’s the return of the victory for the guy who breaks the least sweat. Except nowadays the victories aren’t determined by guns or beers, but by the masochistic food lover’s ability to tolerate the pain of hot chilies.

Here’s our example recipe for the heat lover in you:
Curry of Manly Challenge

2 cups dried chickpeas or 1 can, drained
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 hot green chilies, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2.5cm piece root ginger, peeled and grated
1 handful ground almonds or almond slivers
1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed
1/2 cup shelled peas
salt
1 lime
1 can coconut milk, shaken
parsley or coriander leaves to garnish

Soak the chickpeas overnight. Rinse and cover by 2 inches of water, place in microwave on High (100 percent power) for 20 minutes, pausing to stir once. Let sit for 30 minutes in hot water.
In a skillet over moderately high heat, cook onion and carrot in the vegetable oil for 5-7 minutes. Add chili, garlic, spices, chickpeas, and ginger. Fry everything together, using a little more oil only if necessary.

Add almonds, stir, then add water to barely cover. Bring to a simmer then keep on a very low heat for about 15 minutes for slivers, or until the ground almonds have thickened the curry, about 25 minutes. Add the spinach and peas (if using). Season with salt and lime juice, add the coconut milk, simmering for 3 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining coriander on top and serve with rice and bottled mango chutney.