Today
we move on to dried chiles. In a previous post I promised a recipe on how to make you own chili powder. Remember that chile (with an E) powder is nothing more than ground dried chiles whereas chili (with an I) powder is a mix of spices including chile powder, salt, cumin, garlic, and onion powder. Let’s start with making the chile (with an E) powder. You will need dried chiles. I recommend ancho chiles as they have a very pleasant fruity taste and are fairly mild as chiles go, but any dried chile will work for this recipe. You should be able to find several varieties of dried chiles at your supermarket typically in the produce department or the Latin foods aisle. If yours does not carry dried chiles try a Latin food market or at the very least they can be found online just search for “dried chile”. Once you have obtained your chiles the next thing you will need is some way to grind them. The very best and easiest method is to use an electric coffee grinder, which is a small investment at 15-20$ (note: if you already have one to grind coffee you’ll still want an additional one of these just for grinding spices as once you’ve ground a spice in the grinder you won’t enjoy the coffee you grind in it). You could also use the traditional pestle and mortar, or you can use your food processor.
we move on to dried chiles. In a previous post I promised a recipe on how to make you own chili powder. Remember that chile (with an E) powder is nothing more than ground dried chiles whereas chili (with an I) powder is a mix of spices including chile powder, salt, cumin, garlic, and onion powder. Let’s start with making the chile (with an E) powder. You will need dried chiles. I recommend ancho chiles as they have a very pleasant fruity taste and are fairly mild as chiles go, but any dried chile will work for this recipe. You should be able to find several varieties of dried chiles at your supermarket typically in the produce department or the Latin foods aisle. If yours does not carry dried chiles try a Latin food market or at the very least they can be found online just search for “dried chile”. Once you have obtained your chiles the next thing you will need is some way to grind them. The very best and easiest method is to use an electric coffee grinder, which is a small investment at 15-20$ (note: if you already have one to grind coffee you’ll still want an additional one of these just for grinding spices as once you’ve ground a spice in the grinder you won’t enjoy the coffee you grind in it). You could also use the traditional pestle and mortar, or you can use your food processor.
Now that you have the goods to make your chile powder the first thing you want to do is cut the tops off the chiles and shake out the seeds. Then take your kitchen shears and cut the chiles into small strips. Place the strips into a preheated pan over medium heat and toss frequently for 1-2 minutes. You only want to gently heat the chiles, not cook them or more to the point burn them. Let the chiles come to room temperature then place them in your chosen grinding device and pulverize those suckers into a fine powder. Now this seems like a whole lot for something you can just pick up a jar of. TRUST ME! Try this once and you’ll never look at commercial made chill powders the same.
Sweet and Smoky Chili Powder
3T fresh ground chile (with an E) powder
2T Granulated garlic
1T smoked paprika
1T each, cumin, dried oregano, onion powder, Spanish paprika, and kosher salt
1/2T dark brown sugar
1 tsp each, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, and ground mustard
Directions: Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a bowl. Transfer to an airtight container, and store in a cool, dry, dark place.
Come back for one more and you will be hot to trot.
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