The Heat: Chilli

Wandering off a cold street into a Thai restaurant, I was taken with the notion of a fiery pad kapraw. The first mouthful of this homely dish of sticky fried chicken was savoury and succulent and seemed innocent enough, as did the second. Then I slowly became immersed in a glowing warmth that grew increasingly intense. As it subsided, I felt every bit as revitalised as if I'd had a trip to the Turkish baths. The Thais are masters in the art of using chillies.

I am very wary about cooking with chillies, knowing how easily a heavy hand can ruin a meal. So much so that I am now guilty of erring on the side of caution, when half the point is the risk. I never cook with habaneros, those infamous ruffled pouches that can easily numb a diner's palate to every other taste and sensation. Another reason for avoiding such chillies is my love of their subtle and musky fragrance, like the smell of autumn leaves. If a chilli is too strong, you cannot add it in sufficient quantity for it to shed its perfume into the food. Should the idea of chilli fragrance seem unfamiliar, then I recommend that next time you are cooking a spicy soup or casserole that you "walk the chillies" by adding about three large whole ones to the pot and fish them out at the end. The brave can take an entire bunch for stroll. Providing they are unbroken, they should not impart any heat at all. The dish will, however, possess a curious glow and depth.

The heat that chilli powder provides is different from that of the fresh peppers. If you add too much it can send you out cold for the rest of the meal (though cayenne pepper is one of my favourite dried spices). The Indians use the powder in conjunction with fresh chillies, as I do when I am trying my hand at authentic curries.

Capsaicin, which causes the hot sensation, is the chilli plant's way of waging chemical warfare. Nature has designed it to irritate our eyes, skin and tongue. So effective is it in deterring predators that it is the principal ingredient in anti-mugger sprays. It is also supposed to trigger the release of endorphins, those deceptive opiates that make us feel deliriously happy for such a short space of time.

Chicken and Coconut Noodle Laksa, serves 6

For the soup

sea salt, black pepper

8 chicken thighs

1.2 litres coconut milk

700ml chicken stock

6 lime leaves

175g fine rice or egg noodles

3tbsp fish sauce

squeeze of lime juice

For the paste

3 tbsp sesame oil

1 red chilli, seeds removed

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 stalk of lemongrass, sliced

3cm knob of ginger, peeled and chopped

1 tsp ground coriander

To serve

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 red chillies, seeds removed and finely sliced

6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

3 tbsp coriander leaves

Heat the oven to 200C fan oven/200C or 425F electric oven/gas mark 7. Season and place the chicken thighs on a roasting tray and cook for 25 minutes until the juices run clear. Once they are cool enough to handle, skin them, remove the chicken from the bone and coarsely shred it. Place all the ingredients for the paste in a food processor and pulverise. Heat this in a large saucepan, then add the coconut milk, chicken stock and lime leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Strain and return to the saucepan. To prepare the garnish, heat the vegetable oil in a small frying pan and cook the chilli until it is soft, then remove it. Add the garlic and cook until this starts to colour and reserve.

Bring another large pan of water to the boil and cook the noodles according to the packet instruction. At the same time add the fish sauce and the chicken pieces to the soup base and heat through. Season the soup to taste with a generous squeeze of lime juice and check for salt. Drain the noodles and divide them between the bowls. Ladle the soup on top and scatter with the chilli, garlic and coriander leaves.

Chicken and Potato Dopiaza, serves 4

At its simplest I serve this with warm cushions of flat bread. The curry is scented with whole spices, which is a world away from a commercial curry powder.

3 tomatoes

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric

34 tsp ground coriander

4 tbsp vegetable oil

3 onions, peeled, halved and sliced

1 x 1.6 kg chicken cut into 6 joints, or equivalent pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper

6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

1 tbsp finely chopped ginger

3 whole red chillies

2 bay leaves

8 green cardamom pods

8 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 tbsp tomato puree

700g new potatoes, peeled

34 tsp caster sugar To serve fresh coriander leaves

Heat the oven to 170C fan oven/180C or 350F electric oven/gas mark 4. Skin the tomatoes by immersing them in boiling water for 20 seconds and then in cold water. Quarter them, removing the core. Blend the chilli powder, turmeric and ground coriander with a little water in a bowl. Prepare and have all the other ingredients at the ready.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole and cook the onions over a medium-low heat until they are golden and caramelised. Don't rush this as it takes time to draw out their sweetness. Remove them using a slotted spoon, add the chicken to the pan and colour the pieces on both sides, then remove them.

Add the garlic and ginger to the casserole. After a few moments, add the chillies, bay leaves, all the spices and the tomato puree. Add the potatoes and coat them in the mixture, and then return the chicken and onions to the pan. Add the tomatoes, 150ml water, the sugar and some salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to the boil, then cover and cook in the oven for 50 minutes, stirring the curry halfway through and mashing up the tomatoes. The liquid should be rich and soupy at the end. Skim off the surface oil, adjust the seasoning and serve scattered with coriander. It's easy to pick out the whole spices as you are eating, the chillies, too, are only there to flavour the curry.

Escabeche with Thyme Toast, serves 4

These vegetables are lightly pickled and chilli-hot - I love the combination of the sourness with the heat which is in the same vein as a Thai hot-and-sour soup. This makes quite a substantial salad served with toasted pitta bread sprinkled with zaatar. Zaatar is the Middle Eastern mix of dried thyme, sesame seeds, sea salt and sumac (the dried and ground berries of the sumac bush, it's very tart and replaces lemon juice in some regions). In the absence of zaatar use dried oregano, or thyme, and sea salt.

First toast pitta bread in the oven, then slit it, drizzle olive oil and scatter zaatar over it.

7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, peeled

1 small onion, peeled and cut into wedges

250g carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias

12 tsp whole black peppercorns

1 heaped tsp thyme

4 bay leaves

sea salt

250g broccoli florets (approximately 1 large head)

2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and chopped

175ml white wine vinegar

400g courgettes, sliced on the bias

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and saute the garlic and onion over a medium heat for a few minutes, stirring. Add the carrots, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves, cover and cook for one to two minutes - the onion should have a touch of colour without turning brown. Season with salt, add the broccoli, chilli, vinegar and 4 fl oz water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for two minutes. Add the courgette, cover and cook for another three minutes. The vegetables should remain fairly crunchy.

Cool to room temperature, you can cover and chill it until required, it keeps well for several days: bring it back to room temperature before you eat it. Accompany with toasted pitta described above.

Hazelnut and Chilli Romesco, serves 4

This is a variation on the theme of a Spanish romesco sauce. You can serve it alongside lamb chops, chicken or grilled fish, I also like dipping roasted salad potatoes into it.

1 red pepper

75g hazelnuts

90ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for frying

1 slice day-old white bread

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 heaped tsp chopped fresh red chilli

knife tip of paprika

250g cherry tomatoes

1 scant tbsp sherry vinegar

sea salt, black pepper

Heat the oven to 220C fan oven/230C electric oven/450F/gas mark 8 and roast the pepper for 20 minutes. Place it inside two plastic bags, one within the other, and leave to cool, then remove the skin and seeds. After cooking the pepper, turn the oven down to 180C/190C/375F/gas mark 5 and toast the nuts for about eight minutes until lightly golden. Once they are cool, grind them finely in an electric coffee grinder. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and fry the bread on both sides to a deep golden colour. Place the garlic and fried bread in the bowl of a food processor and process as finely as possible. Add the ground hazelnuts, paprika, chilli, tomatoes and red pepper and reduce to a paste. Trickle in the olive oil with the motor running and add the vinegar. Adjust seasoning and spoon into a bowl.

Hot tips for chilli users

Chillies are alleged to be as hot as they are small, ie the larger the milder. But this is only a very vague rule of thumb. It is a good idea to acquaint yourself with one or two types and go from there.

As well as walking the chillies, you can slit them to give more in the way of heat without being overpowering. You can remove their potency altogether by stripping out the inner membranes with the seeds attached.

Chillies tend to be hotter raw than when braised

or fried.

When making dhal, I usually add a couple of whole red chillies for flavour, extracting them at the end.

When making a rouille for serving with fish soup, roast a red chilli along with the red peppers and include a little of the roasted flesh in the sauce.

When poaching pears, I include a whole chilli in the spiced syrup, along with a cinnamon stick, green cardamom pods, a bay leaf, a strip of lemon zest and coriander seeds.

'Fire and Ice' is a Californian creation of chilled melon in a syrup marinated with chopped chilli, then strained: the effect is exactly as its name suggests. Make a basic syrup by heating together water, sugar and a little chopped chilli, and cooling it. Add some lemon juice to taste and the melon and chill it for about 12 hours. Unlikely as it sounds it's a surprisingly pleasing combination.

Make a spicy mashed potato by cooking a chopped onion in vegetable oil until it is golden. Then add three-quarters of a teaspoon of chopped green chilli, and half a teaspoon each of cumin, mustard seeds and turmeric. Then add 1.2 kg of cooked mashed potato and fry for about five minutes.