How to add habaneros and jalapenos to beans

I have a handful of jalapenos and habaneros that I want to add to my pot of kidney beans. I know I'm supposed to wait till the end to add them, but I was curious as to whether I could just throw them in whole and let them simmer for a bit, or if I should dice them. Any ideas?

John
  • Posted by: John
  • October 22, 2013
  • 7664 views
  • 5 Comments

5 Comments

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catalinalacruz
catalinalacruz October 23, 2013
A HANDFUL of habaneros? Your beans may go off the scale on the Scoville Index. I assume you mean fresh chiles, not dried. Here in Mexico, one habanero, or one jalapeño, slit down the side, might be added to a pot of beans. This adds a subtle bit of heat without blowing someone's mouth out.
http://ushotstuff.com/Heat.Scale.htm
 
pierino
pierino October 23, 2013
I'm definitely down with catalinalcruz on this one. Scoville units are the measure of "heat" in peppers. Habanero is almost off the map, although once you get past the hot part it does have a pleasing, almost floral flavor. In contrast I really don't think of jalapenos as being that hot.
 
John
John October 23, 2013
Thanks! Yeah, I only added two habaneros and a jalapeño--and they made the batch quite spicy--, but I like it that way :)
 
ChefOno
ChefOno October 22, 2013

A handful of habaneros, huh? I don't know any reason you couldn't throw them in whenever you want. At the beginning is traditional when you're working with dried chiles to give them plenty of time to soften, but to preserve the color and texture of the fresh fruit, dicing and adding toward the end is the way I'd go. And, as always, I'd remove the seeds.

 
John
John October 22, 2013
Thanks! btw I read somewhere that acidity slows the cook time of the beans which is why I was why I wasn't sure.
 
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