My love for chillies began since I was a young child. During those days, we had to plant anything that was edible to supplement our meagre diet. I like to plant chillies because they are low maintenance and produce high yield compare to other vegetables. They seem to grow well even in the poorest soil.
Besides I have this special fondness with chillies because they brought back the memories during those difficult years. I can remember when at times we have nothing else to eat except white rice and chillies. So we devised a creative way by chopping the chillies into tiny bits and soak them with soy sauce and served with plain white rice. That was the only thing that kept us alive.
My favourite variety is the Thai Pepper or Bird's Eye Chilli. These tiny fiery things are magnificent. One tiny bite will set your tongue on fire and your lips will turn numb almost instantly. The taste is just sensational! When it comes to Thai/Malaysian cuisine, they are one of the most important ingredients. With them, the dishes will lose their lustre.
When I moved to NZ 3 years ago, I missed the chillies very much. It's hard to find the fresh ones in supermarkets. You may find them in Asian shops in Auckland but in the place where I live, there is hardly any. Occasionally you may find the pickled ones in some speciality shops but that's about it.
So imagine to my surprise when my friend gave me a big jar of home made pickled chillies the other day. I was literally over the moon. The moment I set home, I quickly cooked a pot of rice and whipped up some stir fry vegetables. Then I picked roughly 20 chillies from the jar and sprinkled over my rice and gobbled my meal right away.
At that instant moment, it brought back all the sensations which I am so fond of: The itching scalp, the sweating, watery nostrils, burning tongue, numb lips and the throbbing heat in the tummy. Ahhhhh...it's bloody marevelous!
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