Yes that is what they mean if you don't have any of your own. But I'd suggest you start with only 4-5 and then taste it before adding more. If you have made it before and like it really hot, fine. But if not, taste as you go. You can always add more up to the amount called for but you can't remove them if it is too hot for your taste buds so no need to waste them if not needed. Dave

From The Times October 3, 2007 Shoppers dive for cover as chefs eyewatering chilli sauce causes a terror alert Nam Prik Pao Steve Bird For three hours a mysterious cloud of acrid smoke hovered over some of LondonÂs busiest streets. As shoppers ran coughing and spluttering for cover, police sealed off three roads and evacuated homes and businesses in the heart of Soho, fearing a chemical attack or a dangerous toxic leak. As the ambulance service sent in its Hazardous Area Response Team Unit, firefighters wearing specialist breathing apparatus entered the deserted streets to seek out the source. Soon after 7pm on Monday they emerged from the smoke carrying a huge cooking pot containing about 9lb of smouldering dried chillies. The firefighters had smashed down the door of the Thai Cottage restaurant in DÂArblay Street and seized the extra-hot birdÂs eye chillies which had been left dry-frying. They were being prepared as part of a six-month batch of nam prik pao, a super-hot Thai dip to accompany prawn crackers. Thai staff at the restaurant, who are used to the smell of the sauce being prepared, were baffled initially by the commotion. Chalemchai Tangjariyapoon, the chef, said: "I was making a spicy dip with extra-hot chillies that are deliberately burnt. To us it smells like burnt chilli and it is slightly unusual. I can understand why people who werenÂt Thai would not know what it was. But it doesnÂt smell like chemicals. IÂm a bit confused." Supranee Yodmuang, the waitress on duty, said: "The first we knew about it was at about 4.30 in the afternoon when the fire brigade came. They led us out to where the streets had been cordoned off and we waited there for about three hours. "They said there was a chemical smell and I remember saying to someone that maybe the smell was the chillies, but then we said that that was not possible. When we came back at 7.30pm we saw the door had been smashed and there were fire brigade and police waiting outside. I was a bit scared but they were very nice about it and we showed them that the ventilation was working. Next time we might put some posters up to say we are cooking the dip. The restaurant has been here for 17 years and this has never happened before." Sue Wasboonma, the owner, said: "The smoke didnÂt go up into the sky because of the rain and the heavy air. ItÂs the hottest thing we make. We are very proud of this dish. It is home-cooked and the customers love it." Daniel Spinath, the owner of Crepe Affaire, a neighbouring restaurant, said: "It was a very sharp and hot smell. It got in the back of your throat. I have eaten at the Thai Cottage and the food is very good." The chef mixes the charred chillies with 4½ of garlic flakes, more than 2lb of dried shrimps, 6½lb of palm sugar, 2½lb of shrimp paste, more than 2lb of tamarind and 9 pints of vegetable oil. It is served cold. Nam prik pao 4 tbsp oil; 3 tbsp chopped garlic; 3 tbsp chopped shallots; 3 tbsp chopped dried red chillies; 1 tbsp fermented shrimp paste; 1 tbsp fish sauce; 2 tsp palm sugar Heat the oil, add the garlic and shallots and fry briefly. Remove from oil and set aside. Add chillies and fry until they start to change colour. Remove and set aside. In a pestle and mortar, pound the shrimp paste, add the chillies, garlic and shallots. Over a low heat return all the ingredients to the oil, and fold into a uniform paste. The resulting thick, slightly oily red/black sauce will keep almost indefinitely. If you wish you can add more fish sauce and/or sugar to get the flavour you want.

I see you have curry -- this is an adaptation of a Bon Appetit recipe. I have made it with chicken, pork (can't remember if it was a leftover cooked or uncooked pork loin). I think you could also use one or more beans for the protein and it would be yummy (black and garbanzo come to mind for some reason, but use what you like). I have pumpkin puree in the freezer but first made this with canned. Butternut squash comes prepped if that is easier for you -- or prep enough for several meals and have it already done. Pumpkin Shrimp (or whatever) Curry 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup sliced onion 1 tablespoon minced ginger 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 plum tomato, chopped 1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée 2 cups vegetable broth 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 cup butternut squash, roasted and diced 1 zucchini, sliced (or baby zukes if available) 1/2 cup or more green peas (fresh or frozen) 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice Steamed rice Cilantro Lime zest Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and ginger; sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Stir in plum tomato and pumpkin purée; cook, stirring frequently, until pumpkin is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry powder, and cayenne pepper; simmer for 20 minutes. Add butternut squash, zucchini, peas, shrimp, and lime juice. Simmer until shrimp are cooked and squash is warm. Serve with steamed rice. Top with cilantro and lime zest. Another good idea is to make a batch of marinara sauce and freeze portions you can put over pasta, something simple like stuffed zucchini (we're having it tonight), use it for pizza sauce. Meals in the freezer are a great way to maximize the benefit of your time in the kitchen and control cost. Even if you don't want to have the same meal over and over, roasting a whole chicken gives you a hot meal plus cooked meat that is ready when are. Veggies like pumpkin, butternut and other winter squashes are so nice to have on hand already prepped and they freeze well -- cooked or raw. When we had our kitchen redone, I cooked ground beef and froze it in ziploc bags. I seasoned some for tacos or taco salad and made sloppy joes with some. I had some cooked chicken and turkey. For me it was a good way to lessen the icky dishes I had to wash in the bathtub, but the same idea can make your time easier to manage with whatever proteins you use. Salads are a great way to eat this time of year -- some sliced meat, fish or chicken (a great way to use leftovers), beans or cheese with lettuce that's ready to go plus fruit or fresh veggies or not. Also things like a bean salad, pasta salad (can include beans, tuna or chicken), corn salad or other marinated salad. Most of those will make a nice lunch or casual supper -- but they don't freeze well, so you need to learn to make them with leftovers, what's on hand or other ways to keep the scale down. I tasted a bean salad at Trader Joe's today that was just 3 cans of different beans, a container of their prepared chopped veggies (broccoli, cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, radishes and celery in about 1/2 inch dice - easy enough to do yourself) and a bottle of Tuscan Italian Dressing. That and a Southwest Bean salad (made with salsa and lemon or lime juice for the dressing) are things I could eat a bowl of for a meal. If those appeal, let me know and I'll look up the recipes. Sandwiches and breakfast for dinner are usually both economical and on the quicker side. Also -- baked poatatoes, white or sweet. Athenian Stuffed Potatoes 4 8oz baking potatoes 1 6 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts 2 tsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced (I've used mixed reed,yellow and orange too) 1 tomato, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 c (4 oz) crumbled feta cheese 2 T minced kalamata olives 1 tsp dried oregano The recipe says to foil wrap and bake the potatoes at 375 for an hour, but knowing that you don't want a long hot bake, I will tell you that we have always cooked the potatoes in the micro and move on. Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving the liquid. Chop artichokes. Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, peppers, tomato and garli. Saute about 8 min. Add artichokes, 1 T of the reserved marinade, cheese, olives and oregano. Saute 1 minute more or until thoroughly heated. Slit the cooked potatoes, fluff with fork and scoop 1 cup vegetable mixture into cavity. If you have leftover filling and don't want another potato, the filling is great tossed with pasta and grilled chicken or sausage -- though not vegetarian. I had a large group to feed this spring and doubled the filling, added a can of petite diced tomatoes, tossed it with pasta and served it with sliced grilled chicken and sausage on the side so we had a vegetarian and a non-chicken option. I liked all three variations. Hope that helps.

There are tons of great Indian vegetarian recipes! Here are a few: Aloo Gobi (Indian Potatoes and Cauliflower) 2-3 servings 1 lb waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 4 tablespoons cooking oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 teaspoons ginger, grated into pulp 1 - 2 green chilies, finely chopped 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1 lb cauliflower florets 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons fresh coriander (also known as cilantro) 1 Boil potatoes for 5 minutes then drain. 2 Heat oil in a skillet or wok; add onion and ginger, then cook until onion is golden brown. 3 Add chilies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ground cumin and turmeric then cook for 2 mins, stirring continuously. 4 Add potatoes and cauliflower, stirring to coat all the pieces in the mixture, add salt and water then cover and cook gently until vegetables are tender but not overcooked. 5 Garnish with fresh coriander (cilantro) and serve as a main dish with warm Indian breads and/or basmati rice. Can also serve as a side dish with a meat curry. Note: For those who like foods less spicy, just omit or decrease the amount of seeds and membranes from the chiles, because they contain 80 per cent of the heat. *Always wear gloves when working with chiles! Melting in the Mouth Spinach & Potato Curry posted by Mini Ravindran 4 servings 2 cups spinach (blanched and pureed) 4 big potatoes (boiled/microwaved, peeled and cubed) 1 cup tomato puree 2 tablespoons onion paste 1 tablespoon garlic paste 1 tablespoon ginger paste 3 chopped green chilies (optional) *Use them if you want lots of heat! salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 2 tablespoons oil (preferably Canola oil) 1 Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. 2 Add fennel seeds. 3 Let them crackle. 4 Add onion, green chillies, garlic, ginger paste and sauttill it turns pinkish brown. 5 Add salt, turmeric and black pepper powder. 6 Sauté for 3-4 seconds and add tomato puree. 7 Wait till gravy is well cooked and raw smell is gone. 8 Add cubed potatoes and stir well for 4 minutes. 9 Add pureed spinach now and lower the heat. 10 Let it cook for 15 minutes on heat or microwave for 10 minutes. 11 Serve with Indian breads and add a dash of fresh cream while serving. 12 Serve hot. Bengal Spinach serves: 4-6 3 Tbsp. sesame oil 1 tsp. whole black mustard seeds 1/4 tsp. fenugreek seeds (crushed slightly) 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds 4 tsp. brown sugar 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger root OR 2 tsp. ginger juice (it comes in a bottle) Minced fresh chiles or hot sauce to taste Spinach - 2 lbs fresh (washed, chopped) or 2 10-oz. pkgs. frozen (thawed, drained) 1/4 c. dried, shredded coconut salt to taste a dash of freshly grated nutmeg fresh lemon wedges squeezed over finished dish, plus a pat of butter if desired Heat the sesame oil in a large, heavy pan over medium. Add the whole spices and sugar, and stir fry until the spices brown and the sugar starts to carmelize. Add ginger, chiles, coconut, then the spinach, cover and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, so it cooks evenly. Make sure it doesn't boil dry--add a little more water if needed. Cook until it is very soft. Stir in the nutmeg, turn into a serving dish, and squeeze a bit of lemon over the top. Optional additions: 1/4 c. slivered, toasted almonds, 1/3. c. currants, or a few tablespoons of cream Here's a Thai recipe: Thai-Style Pasta Salad DRESSING: 1/2 cup natural peanut butter 6 Tbs. water 4 Tbs. vegetable oil 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice (1 lime) 2 Tbs. distilled white vinegar 2 Tbs. Asian (dark) sesame oil 2 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce 1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, or more, to taste SALAD: 4 oz. snow peas, strings removed 1/2 lb. Chinese rice noodles/vermicelli (can substitute angel hair pasta or spaghettini/thin spaghetti). 1 pkg. (8 oz.) coleslaw mix 5 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges 1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into thin strips 1 cup mung or soy bean sprouts 1/2 cup chopped scallions (or 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion) Dressing: In medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Set aside. Bring large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside. Meanwhile, cut the snowpeas into thirds on diagonal. Steam until just cooked, keeping them a little crunchy. Rinse under cold water. In large serving bowl, combine noodles, dressing, snow peas, coleslaw, radishes, tomatoes, cucumber, sprouts and scallions (or onion). Makes 6 servings