Are all chili pastes hot and spicy?

No, not all chili pastes are hot and spicy. While many chili pastes are made with chili peppers and are designed to add heat to dishes, there are also many that are mild or even sweet.

Here's why:

* Different Chili Peppers: There's a huge variety of chili peppers, ranging from very mild to extremely hot. Chili pastes can be made with any type of chili pepper, so some will be hotter than others.

* Other Ingredients: Chili pastes often contain ingredients besides chili peppers, such as garlic, onions, vinegar, spices, and even fruit. These ingredients can add flavor and depth to the paste, but they can also moderate the heat.

* Purpose: Some chili pastes are specifically designed to be mild, like Go-Chu-Chang, a Korean chili paste often used in stir-fries and noodle dishes. Others are meant to be very hot and spicy, like Scotch Bonnet paste, commonly used in Caribbean cuisine.

So, to answer your question, chili pastes come in a wide range of heat levels, from mild to very spicy. It's important to read the label or recipe to understand the heat level of a particular chili paste.