Once apon a time, when I was a mere lad of the age of 6, I took a jalepeño from the bag recently brought from market. I remember, vividly, the images my imagination conjured...based solely on cartoons, mind you: <br />My head was going to explode. <br />My face was going to fill with red and flames would shoot out of my ears. <br />I would breathe fire. <br /> <br />I drafted a will and bequest my favorite reel-to-reel tape recordings to my little sister. Then, I took the jalepeño and stood with it millimeters from my tongue, making sure I was doing it in a mirror so I could watch for signs of sudden combustion. <br /> <br />So far, so good. I licked the jalepeño. It tasted neutral. <br /> <br />Confident, I popped the whole thing in my mouth and started crunching away. It was sweet, like a bell pepper. <br /> <br />And then....the heat. The heat made my tongue flop out of my mouth and instead of cooling, it burned to breathe over it. But in spite of all of this, I knew I was in love with anything spicy. <br /> <br />This recipe is not for the faint of tongue. While this is not a challenge dish where, if you eat it, you may end up in the hospital, it's certainly not for those who shy away from spicy tuna, pepper chocolate, or the kid's menu at various wing institutions. That's a rib at you, mom. <br /> <br />I LOVE Thai red curry. It is one of my favorite dishes to eat and one of my favorite to prepare. If only it were portable... <br /> <br />Submitted for your approval after a wicked long introduction having very little to do with the dish itself: A Southern-Thai Mashup "20 Minute Sandwich".

Share: