We're talking dried chili's. The kind found in bunches hanging in an Italian deli or a mexican bar.

Lately I've been digging my fathers pan fried version.

He used to clear the house and half the neighborhood by pan frying dried chili peppers in olive oil until they smoked and were crispy black.

So I did that tonight.

We're talking lung crippling shortness of breath. And forget about opening your eyes.

But dang are those things good.

Adds a whole new dimension.

Does anyone else do this?

Dumbass.

Umm no......I love heat and spice but only to add complexity to a dish.I love chili peppers but seriously have not tried this,my wife would probably kill me anyway.She is not a fan of peppers or anything else spicy and hot.I have a huge batch of hot red thai's drying right now.......and another batch about ready to be picked.This years crop,one frigging plant,may just be enough to last me a lifetime.

I haven't found anything that's not improved by Ghost Peppers.

Cooking them is a royal pain, but it's a batch process so I won't have to do it again for a while.

I put them in a jar with some added olive oil and now just add them to my dishes.

They're hot, but it's the complexity of pan frying them that makes them so delicious.

And they're just regular chili's, not habs or ghosties.

Yeah, I've done this with dried peppers. I usually do it as I need them for a dish though. My personal favorite for this treatment is the dried japones pepper ("Japanese Chili" - it's a small, thin skin, reasonably hot pepper). I've done it with milder ones like dried guajillo (new mexico or california chilies if you need a substitute) and dried Italian peppers too, but to me those are a just good as they are for building a sauce base, burning them doesn't add anything in my world.

Speyside: yes fry them whole. The olive oil gives them the great taste I love.

I quit doing this to my body a few years ago. I found that a flavorful hot much more enjoyable than burning on the way in and out. 🌫

You frying the peppers after they're already dried?

Opps! Missed that part. No, I fry them within a few days of picking them & then jar for use with the olive oil.

My grandfather used to hang hot peppers all over the basement until they were dried out enough to crumple them over pasta or just bite right into them and enjoy the burn. We called them firecrackers, damn do I miss those!

These are the ones I'm talking about.

But you take the dried pepper and fry it till it's black.

takes 2 years off your life with all the smoke putting a stranglehold on your lungs and heart.

Totally worth it.

These are good, too.

On sammiches or just on some fresh bread by themselves.

can't eat peppers with any heat...hurts going through and coming out...still take a nibble or two, just to remind myself of what I'm missing...

Couldn't you fry them outside on a camping stove or the side burner of a grill? Your lungs and heart may thank you.

David