The holiday season is finally here!
It is the time for children to forget about school while adults enjoying a little breather from the stresses at work and of course, no more waking up early during week days! What a relief to be able to hit the snooze button as many times as you want.
But, the best thing of all about the holidays is definitely the food. From roasts to potpies to decadent puddings and holiday desserts, you are really going to need your trusty ol’ sweatpants and baggy shirts to hide all that holiday weight. It is totally worth it though! We’ll think about getting back in shape after the new year.
Among all of the delicious dessert offerings, our favourites usually revolve around chocolate! Nothing warms you up like a mug of piping hot chocolate! What is not to love about it? It is chocolate. period. Nonetheless, this does not mean you cannot add your own spin to the good old-fashioned drink.
Being Malaysian, we’ve decided to spike our own version of this classic holiday drink with chilli padi. What could be more natural? We do like our food spicy!
Chocolate & Chilli Match Made in Heaven
As Malaysians, we love to add some spiciness to everything. Although there are some hit and misses, it absolutely works for this recipe. We would say that the little addition of chillies is perfection!
Spiced hot chilli chocolate is not something new. Dating back to 460 A.D., the earliest traces of hot chocolate can be found in the Mayan tombs of Guatamala. They used to make it using a paste ground from cocoa seeds mixed with cornmeal and chillies.
Besides being the perfect mid afternoon pick me up, there are health benefits to be gained from each sip of this delicious concoction. Research from Nottingham University has shown that chilli and chocolate are good for improving the blood flow to the brain. We’ve tried it and it definitely get’s your body zinging.
The Mayans definitely got it right with their hot chocolate.
Stop Reading and Let’s Make It
Ooh, just talking about chocolate really makes our mouths water. So instead of boring you with more facts and reasons to convince you about the goodness of this decadent heavenly drink, why not try make it yourself?
Let’s get the chocolate and heat up the pot!
Ingredients
- 240ml (1 cup) of milk
- 8g (1/2 cup) of imported chocolate chips
- 6g (1 teaspoon) gula Melaka or palm sugar
- 1/2 green bird’s eye chilli (de-seeded and thinly sliced. About 15 thin slices)
Method
1. Pour milk into a small pot and put it over the stove on medium heat. Allow the milk to be heated for approximately 1 minute or until you see a gentle simmer.
2. When the milk starts to bubble, put in the chocolate chips and gula Melaka.
3. Continuously stir the liquid so that the chocolate chips do not form clumps at the bottom of the pot.
4. When the milk and the chocolate chips have mixed and formed a rich, thick chocolate mixture, add in chilli padi. (Tip: If you just want a hint to fire, add half the slices first and taste. If you want a stronger burn, add them all in and maybe even more!)
5. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt to give it the YUM-factor.
Amp It Up!
There are just so many ways to enjoy this hot concoction. Here are some extra wonderful ideas:
- If you are a fan of coffee, do not hesitate to put 1/2 teaspoon of coffee powder to give it a little caffeine kick! Hot chilli chocolate coffee! Oooh!
- Make it a cold chilli chocolate drink! Add ice and top with whipped cream. It’s quite a wonderful experience drinking something cold that heats you up at the same time. Truly addictive.
So Spicy, So Good…
We’re so excited for you all to try making this yourselves!
It is truly a magical drink that works wonders when you’re feeling a little blue in the office waiting for the weekend to come. It’s the holiday season, so enjoy a cup, chill and relax for New Year’s. This drink will have you feeling happy vibes even at work. Bye bye holiday blues. Hello fiery chocolate!
