The Birds Eye Chili Los Angeles CA consumers are buying is a small, fiery chili pepper commonly used in various multicultural recipes like Caribbean and African stews and Southeast Asian stir fry. It is known for its intense heat and is often used to add spiciness to various foods, including curries, marinades, salsa, sauces, chili, casseroles and more. It is also ground up and added to dry chili spice blends.
Colors of Chili Heat
The Birds Eye Chili comes from the Capsicum annum plant and is harvested in various colors. Also called Thai Chili, the various colors indicate the ripeness level. A green Birds Eye Chili Los Angeles, CA cooks use in recipes is an unripe chili with a bitter, sharp heat. A red chili is mature with a sweeter, fruity, less intense heat. In between are chilis of various shades; the only way to find out how they taste and how hot they are is by eating them.
How Hot is Hot for the Birds Eye Chili?
The heat in the Birds Eye Chili is rated as 50,000 to 100,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Unit), a chili heat measurement scale. The heat in chili peppers is due to capsaicin, found mainly in the seed membrane. For comparison, the popular jalapeno chili is about 5,000 SHU. Despite its small size, a little Birds Eye Chili in Los Angeles, CA recipes goes a long way, so it is important to use it sparingly to avoid overpowering other flavors in a dish.