I make a near identical sauce a couple times every fall I call 'flavor bombs'. It is low to medium hot. I also make a gallon of fermented 'hot' sauce. Now in bottles.

If I was making it for family this weekend I would proceed with the recipe as written but start with the mild/hot in the blender, then pour out 1/2 or 2/3rd. Then add the hotties. Heat up that hottie in a sauce pan for the 'hotties' to enjoy as a shrimp dip at the table.

I would not subject the entire shrimp dish to such unknown heat. Hot peppers tend to bloom and get hotter over a very short time frame. I like shrimp. Bummer for those of us that would rather enjoy the dish than be choking with numbness. When in doubt leave it out.

DH was a choking hottie lover 20 yrs ago. He followed recipes with too much heat and too much soy/salt. I would point it out before hand but he would proceed as written. I think we have had two arguments in 30 yrs and that was one. (Can't recall the other one, lol)... probably about driving skills, haha

My 'flavor bombs' are in the freezer. Use them all winter. Chili, tom soup, pasta sauce, tacos, any soups really. Hot pepper desires are on the table.

I was more looking for a ceiling. I know I can back it down. So three is too much, and possibly 2. So maybe 1 1/2.

;)

When a dish that's supposed to be spicy is not, it's a letdown; so there's the flipside too. I mean, the dish is named diabla. It's not like we'll be surprised by the heat.

Well, but you do want to taste the shrimp!

There's only so much you can do with charts. You have to test the exact pepper you're using. So much depends on soil, water, etc. Anaheims are usually pretty reliable. As Lars said, guajillos here are usually barely spicier than bell peppers. They sort of taste like hot peppers would taste if they weren't actually hot. Until, that is, you get the one that burns all the way down your esophagus. Hatch chilies, which are similar to Anaheims, are usually labelled hot or mild in the stores. I don't know how they know, but often the hot ones aren't very and the mild the opposite. And I have a bag of hot dried Szechuan chilis, and a bag of mild, and they're the same danged chiiis.

I'm not very familiar with Thai Dragon chilis, but heed Lars's warning. Chilis de arbol are similar to Szechuan, but larger and a bit milder when both are on the spicy side. If Dragons are in the same family, but hotter, I'd make the sauce first, adding one pepper at a time, then let the sauce sit and develop for awhile before deciding about adding the next. You might also want to use the guajillo for the flavor.

Right. I agree. Still.

I was never going to dump it all in.

Sorry. I didn't mean to imply not. Just thinking it through.

Rob, I'd start with 1 or maybe 1 1/2. I'm a wuss, plus I like to taste my food before the enamel on my teeth start to bubble. (grin) Remember, you can always add more, but you can never take it out. Start judiciously, taste. Well, let it cook a little, taste, add more if needed.

I'd probably start with 1/2, but I'm a wimp. Elery would go for 5, LOL.

Annie

I'm thinking 1 1/2 would be the absolute highest. I feel more solid after all the responses :). I do appreciate ALL of the answers! We're in the mood for some heat. Not everything all the time, but this time.

Thanks! One was enough. It may not be true to the recipe, but it's good food.

Rob, it looks delicious to me, authentic or not. I seldom make food authentic anyway, I always make it once, then change something, LOL.

Annie

I think I'd serve it with Mexican rice next time. We're going to up the heat. It was heat good level, but we want MORE