Some people enjoy the kind of heat that makes a person feel that the roof of their mouth is about to peel away like paint, but obviously Babish isn’t one of those people since he decided to lower the spice quotient just a bit in these delectable Fire Flakes from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Listening to the spices that were going into the mix it does sound as though things could get a bit spicy if a person wasn’t careful about what they were adding, but thankfully Babish is quite knowledgeable about what he’s doing and happens to know when to say enough. But the composition of the Fire Flakes is interesting since believe it or not, a lot of people might still be amazed to think that such a recipe could be made with rice. One thing that anyone should know by the time they reach adulthood though, for practical reasons at least, is that rice is a little more versatile than they might think. If corn and wheat can be just as versatile in their uses then rice is bound to have a lot of different recipes that can call for it. Seeing it made into flakes though is kind of interesting since the process doesn’t sound too tough, at least not with the proper equipment and knowledge of how to create the sheets that will be broken off into flakes.
The process of dehydrating the sheets of rice mixture would take a while without the dehydrator, however, especially since doing this without the device might not be entirely possible unless one could find a way that would work in the same manner. The deep-frying would be about the only other thing that might turn off a few people since the fact is that it takes a good deal of oil to deep fry something and the disposal of said oil is something that person needs to understand how to accomplish. For some folks, it’s not a big deal since they might do it all the time, but for those that don’t go in for a lot of deep-frying, it might be that this recipe would need to be adjusted yet again. With that in mind though it does sound like an easy enough snack to enjoy since there are plenty of people out there that love feeling the heat coming from their food, though one has to wonder why since the inside of your mouth can feel like an oven set to HIGH with something that’s too incredibly spicy.
This definitely isn’t the most complex thing that Babish has ever made, but to be fair it is something that people might find themselves unable to really complete without at least a couple of vital tools since dehydrating anything will take hours long without a dehydrator since the natural process isn’t exactly that quick. But as far as blenders go, they’re fairly cheap and easy to find, unless one wants top of the line quality and won’t settle for less. The ingredients are pretty easy to round up since spices and rice aren’t exactly difficult to find in any store. But getting the right amount of spice could be a bit tricky since as I mentioned, some folks like it hot enough to breathe a fireball, while others aren’t exactly that keen on anything that makes the inside of their mouth feel like a volcano that’s about to erupt. Some people can handle spicy food naturally, while others have a much lower tolerance for varying reasons. But one thing that is evident is that the more spicy food a person eats, the more likely it is that the receptors that are triggered by the capsaicin in spicy foods will become conditioned to the sensation, which means that spicy food won’t affect a person if they continue to eat it on a regular basis. Of course, this isn’t always the case since each person’s internal chemistry is different and some people simply can’t stomach the intense, spicy foods that some people think of as commonplace.
Some cultures use spices in a manner that is extremely overpowering to others that have rarely if ever had the same kind of access to said spices, and therefore aren’t used to them. In a big way, spices are a very cultural and regional thing that affects everyone differently due to their exposure to them and any resistance that might have been built up. Thinking of it this way it’s natural to think that these Fire Flakes might actually be very tame to some folks that are used to strong spice, while they might be hotter than hell to others. It’s not so much a matter of strength when it comes to spices, it’s whether or not your body can tolerate the chemicals that trigger certain receptors in your mouth and tongue.
Follow Us
