Love it or hate it, spicy food is a prevalent group of food. Many people love it and eat it as often as possible. I am one of those people! Others just cannot handle it on their taste buds. It is common to think that spicy foods only come from Mexico and while it is true that a lot of spicy items come from Central America, other world cuisines are well known for them. South American, Asian, and Caribbean nations have made their mark on spicy food as well. At Nacho Hippo, we love these tongue-tingling dishes.
No one really knows for sure, but it is believed that chilies originated in Mexico, and while some of the hottest foods can still be found there, it wasn’t until the Spanish brought chilies from Mexico to Asia and India that they really came into their own. Once the chili pepper made it to the shores of India, spicy food popularity exploded. Compared to ginger and black pepper, this new level of heat was an absolute game-changer for chefs and cooks.
Spiced foods can actually be good for you. A Heart Health Study found that cultures that eat very spicy foods tend to have lower incidences of heart attacks and strokes among their citizens. It has even been argued that chili peppers can reduce the adverse effects of cholesterol. Spicy foods also fight inflammation.
Tex-Mex food has incorporated spicy flavors into its cuisine using cumin, chilies, and other spices. In general, you could say that Tex-Mex is a result of combining cultures anyway, so it makes sense that it would encourage the use of the spices from the cultures it pulls its cuisines from.
At Nacho Hippo, we have a good mix of tame options to offset our spicy options. Here are a few of the choices
Salsa Sampler– Fire-roasted salsa, salsa verde, and mango habanero salsa served with fresh tortilla chips. While the fire-roasted salsa and salsa verde are far from spicy, the habanero pepper brings a lot of heat and smokey flavors to the table. Even though there is a slight temper by a sweet fruity flavor, the habanero pepper is a fantastic addition to the Nacho Hippo menu.
Pollo Loco Taco – This item features fried chicken tossed in buffalo sauce, shredded lettuce, blended cheese, pico de gallo, and ranch. Buffalo sauce is made with cayenne pepper, vinegar, and butter. The cayenne pepper is a moderately hot chili pepper and dials up the flavor and the heat.
Ka-Ka-Ka-Kia Taco – This taco features grilled steak glazed with soy garlic ginger sauce, kimchi, sriracha, and sesame seeds. First, the kimchi will get you. Kimchi is known for being packed with flavor, umami, and a lot of heat! The fermentation process that kimchi goes through helps create that spicy flavor everyone loves. Then the sriracha gets you with the tangy-sweet spicy and a kick of garlic. While it isn’t super spicy, it is still a hot sauce.
Sriracha-Lime Chicken – We fry a boneless chicken breast and top it with melted sriracha queso. It is served on a bed of yellow rice with a side of seasoned black beans. Think queso with sriracha mixed in. You can’t beat it!
Fried Clucker – This option doesn’t have to be spicy, but if you can choose the fire it up option… – fried boneless chicken breast with lettuce, tomato, and onion on a toasted bun. Then we add jalapenos, mango habanero sauce, and pepper jack cheese. Smokey, earthy with good heat, combining jalapenos with our mango habanero sauce is a recipe for happy taste buds.
Macho Nacho – Like the Fried Clucker, this option can be tame unless you choose the fire it up option…- chili, blended cheese, queso, shredded lettuce, and pico de gallo. Add jalapenos, mango habanero sauce, and pepper jack cheese. This one gets a lot of attention.
Nacho Hippo has something for everyone. If you like the spice, we can absolutely make you happy. If you prefer your food to be nice, we have that too. Join us today at Nacho Hippo and explore your options. You’ll be happy that you did.
If you want to check out some of the other cool offerings on our menu, visit us online here: https://nachohippo.com/food/
Recent Comments