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Chilli
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Chili Pepper

Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum. Chili peppers originated in the Americas.  Guntur in Andhra Pradesh produces 30% of all the chilies produced in India, and the state of Andhra Pradesh contributes to 75% of all the chilli exports from India.

In The Kitchen

Chili pepper Chopped and toss it on scrambled eggs, sandwiches or burgers, stir-fries, soups or stews. Add or subtract chili depending on the level of spice that you like. Be sure to remove the stem and seeds, since that’s where a lot of the really hot heat is stored.

Mild chillies can be roasted and stuffed in the same way you would a sweet pepper. To roast fresh chillies, place them under a very hot pre-heated grill, directly over a gas flame or best of all over hot coals, until the skin blackens and blisters. Be careful not to over-roast chillies as they tend to disintegrate.

Some of the larger dried chillies work better when reconstituted. If you're making a liquidy dish such as a soup or sauce, add the dried chillies to the pan whole and they'll plump up during cooking. Otherwise, reconstitute them by soaking in a bowlful of water for about an hour, then use them in the same way as fresh chillies. Crumbled dried chillies work well when fried in olive oil with garlic and mixed with spaghetti for a simple Italian-style supper.

Nutritional Value:

Chili peppers have amazingly high levels of vitamins and minerals. Just 100 g provides (in % of recommended daily allowance):

240% of vitamin-C (Ascorbic acid), 
39% of vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine), 
32% of vitamin A
13% of iron,
14% of copper, 
7% of potassium,  
but no cholesterol.

Health Benefits of Chilies pepper 

1. Chili pepper contains an impressive list of plant derived chemical compounds that are known to have disease preventing and health promoting properties.

2. Chilies contain health benefiting an alkaloid compound in them, capsaicin, which gives strong spicy pungent character. Early laboratory studies on experimental mammals suggest that capsaicin has anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, analgesic and anti-diabetic properties. It also found to reduce LDL cholesterol levels in obese individuals.

3. Fresh chili peppers, red and green, are rich source of vitamin-C.  Vitamin C is a potent water-soluble antioxidant. It is required for the collagen synthesis in the body. Collagen is the main structural protein in the body required for maintaining the integrity of blood vessels, skin, organs, and bones. Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body protect from scurvy; develop resistance against infectious agents (boosts immunity) and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals from the body.

4. They are also good in other antioxidants like vitamin A, and flavonoids like ß-carotene, a-carotene, lutein, zea-xanthin, and cryptoxanthin. These antioxidant substances in capsicum help to protect the body from injurious effects of free radicals generated during stress, diseases conditions.

5. Chilies contain a good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.

6. Chilies are also good in B-complex group of vitamins such as niacin, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflavin and thiamin (vitamin B-1). These vitamins are essential in the sense that body requires them from external sources to replenish.

Read More at Wikipedia.
More Chili Pepper Recipes Here, Here.








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