Ancho Dried Chile Pepper, 50gm
Ancho Chiles (pronounced "AHN CHo"), Capsicum Annuum, are also referred to as chile ancho, ancho chili, and ancho pepper. Known as Poblano chiles when in their fresh state, this mild chile is native to the Mexican State of Puebla. In their native region when dried they are called chile ancho which translates to "wide chile". The dried Ancho chile has a more intense flavor profile than the poblano and has been a key ingredient in Puebla cuisine for thousands of years.
Ancho Chiles are the most commonly used dried chile in Mexican cuisine and are one of the famous "holy trinity" of chiles used in Mexican moles, along with the Pasilla Negro Chiles and the Guajillo Chiles. This heart shaped dried pepper is about 3" wide and 4" in length and tapers to a point. They are a deep, reddish brown to black in color and the texture is wrinkled. A top grade Ancho should be clean, pliable, untorn and aromatic with a smell that is a bit like prunes.
The staple chile in authentic Mexican cooking, Ancho peppers are a critical ingredient in red chili, tamales, many moles, enchiladas, salsa, soups and any sauce that may need some extra mild heat. You can add them directly to your recipes - sliced, diced or pureed. The whole dried pod can be ground in a blender (with or without the seeds, depending on your heat and flavor preferences).
For more flavor, lightly toast Ancho Chiles in a hot pan for about 30 seconds per side, just until they start to blister. They can easily be re-hydrated by pouring hot water or broth over them and letting them sit for 10-20 minutes. Don't let them soak much longer than that, as they may become bitter. A puree of soaked Ancho chiles will be reddish brown in color with a rich, mild, almost sweet taste and slightly bitter undertones. We like to save the liquid from rehydrating as it absorbs the great flavor from the softened chiles. Use the liquid in the recipe at hand, or save it to lend flavor depth to braises, soups and stews.
Per ounce, Ancho chile provides more pulp than most dried chiles. The heat of the chile comes from the veins inside the pod and before rehydrating some cooks prefer to remove some or most of the seeds and veins as these lend more bitterness to the finished recipe.
Scoville heat rating (SHU) of 500 to 1,500
Arbol Dried Chile Pepper, 50gm
The Chile de Arbol (Spanish for tree chili) is a small, but very potent Mexican chili pepper which is also known as bird's beak chile. The chile de Arbol is very hot, and is related to cayenne pepper. Small and plenty hot, Chile de Arbol can also be used to decorate wreaths in its dried form.
Arbol chiles are found in numerous Chinese, Mexican, Southeast Asian and Southwestern dishes. Their intense heat lends them to applications where they are an accent rather than a main ingredient. The flavor of De Arbol chiles is considered superior to other chile peppers by many competition chili cooks and is considered a staple in many southwestern US kitchens. We like to use it in place of cayenne as the heat levels are similar but the De Arbol chile is much more flavorful than the cayenne which is light on flavor.
We like to dry toast Arbol Chiles on a hot skillet and then toss in the blender with tomatillos, onion, roasted garlic, lime, a little salt and a little water for a flavorful quick green table salsa. They can be used to make a pepper mash for a hot sauce base by fermenting three parts vinegar to one part dried chile for several weeks. Add the crushed or whole chiles to pickle brines and Escabeches (fish marinated and cooked in an acidic mixture -- usually vinegar) for a concentrated spicy heat.
We like to use Arbol chiles in marinades, soups and of course in salsas and hot sauces.
Arbol Chile's long thin size, heat and flavor makes it an ideal chile in infusions. We've had customers use them to infuse honey, olive oil, tea, vinegar and even vodka. They can also be used to add a spicy kick as a garnish and can be added to homemade lemonade and margaritas.
Scoville heat rating (SHU) of 15,000 - 30,000
Corn Husk, 100g
Dried Corn Husks are used to make tamales. Tamales are a traditional Mexican dish made with corn dough that is stuffed with a savoury or sweet filling, wrapped in a re-hydrated corn husk and steamed until cooked. They are incredibly delicious and full of tradition. One of the oldest dishes recorded in Mexican history!
Care: keep in a sealed bag in your cupboard until you are ready to re-hydrate them for your tamales making. If you soak them but did not use them, shake any excess of water, pat them dry with a tea towel and let them finish off drying on the counter before packing them away.
Guajillo Dried Chile Pepper, 50gm
The Guajillo pepper pronounced [gwah-HEE-yoh] is a shiny, thick, leathery, red orange-red chile with bland to moderate amounts of heat. Guajillo are the most commonly grown chiles in Mexico, and are sold whole, dried. The Guajillo chile has a green tea flavor with berry tones and sweet heat. It's lengthened shape thins out in to a point, sometimes being slightly curved. Since Guajillo peppers have a tough skin they have to be soaked longer than other chiles before being used. Guajillos can get ground or hydrated into a thin paste or red flavorful sauce. They are usually used to make salsa for tamales, salsas, pastes, butters, chile sauces, rubs to flavor all kinds of meats such as chicken; soups and stews.
Tips:
Wipe the Guajillo peppers with a most towel to remove soil or dust before toasting. Before soaking and blending, remove the chiles from the bag; remove the seeds, stems, and much of the veins as you can. Then slice the peppers and place in a bowl. You can store guajillos for up to six months or more, by storing them in an air tight container in a cool dry place. Guajillos can be substituted with New Mexico Chiles, Cascabels or California Chiles.
Scoville Heat Units (SHU) 500 to 5,000 SHU
Habanero Dried Chile Pepper, 50gm
The Dried Habanero Chile is famed for its intense heat, but itās got so much more to offer a dish besides fired-up spice. At first glance this chile is unassuming; itās cute and small, only about 2 inches long, and kind of boxy. Habaneros give off a lightly fruity, floral perfume; behind the florals lies a nose-prickling scent of something else. That something else is 200,000-300,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), which helps categorize hot peppers by how much of the chemical compound capsaicin is held in its walls. JalapeƱos, for comparison, clock in at around 5,000 SHU, so a habanero is 50-60 times hotter than a jalapeƱo. Hidden under all that heat is a gorgeous flavor, gentle and sweet, reminiscent of tropical papaya, coconut, and a bit of hibiscus.
Because habaneros are so hot, they are generally used in small increments. Grind into tomato salsa, mix with fruit for a fruity-hot tropical sauce. Add to barbecue sauce. Make a pepper jelly. Rehydrate, thinly slice, and add on top of pizza, or mix with mango for a tropical sauce for fish or shrimp. SautƩ with onions and garlic and make a kicking base for chili. Mix with brown sugar for a sweet-heat wing sauce.
When handling habaneros, wear rubber gloves. The capsaicin in the peppers can easily adhere to fingers and create a burning sensation on the hands that can last for hours. Itās also easy to inadvertently rub the eyes with chile pepper fingers, which is terribly painful.
Scoville heat rating (SHU) of 200,000 to 300,000
Morita Dried Chile Pepper, 50gm
Mulato Dried Chile Pepper, 50gm
Mulato Chiles are very similar in appearance to the Ancho chile and they are closely related. Both are Poblano chiles and the difference between the two is when they're harvested.
The color of these chiles while growing is dark green. Ancho chiles are picked when they ripen to red and they're then dried. Mulato chiles are allowed to fully ripen turning a dark brown where they're then harvested and dried. This additional ripening time adds to the Mulato's flavor characteristics and they're more full-bodied and complex in flavor than the Ancho. The added nuanced flavor gives them a special role in authentic Mexcian cuisine.
Along with the other two members of the "holy trinity" the Ancho and Pasilla Chiles, the Mulato chiles are a key ingredient in mole poblano, which is also known as Mexican mole, a dark brown chocolaty and spicy sauce that is usually served over chicken or meat. Dried mulato chiles are ideal for mole recipes due to their dark brown color after soaking.
You'll also find Mulato Chiles used in other Mexican sauces and stews, including chicken with rice. Cooks in Mexico make stuffed Mulato peppers (similar to stuffed Poblanos) by rehydrating the chile pods, removing the seeds and then stuffing the pods with breadcrumbs, cheese and shrimp. These are then pan fried in oil.
Scoville heat rating (SHU) of 2,500 - 3,000
Pasilla Dried Chile Pepper, 50gm
Pasilla Chiles (pronounced "pah-SEE-yah"), Capsicum annuum, are also referred to as Pasilla, chile negro, chile pasilla de Mexico, Mexican negro or pasilla bajio.
Pasilla Chiles are one of the famous "holy trinity" of chiles used in Mexican moles, along with Ancho Chiles and the Guajillo Chiles. This dried pepper is about 1 to 1-1/2ā wide and 6-8" long. Top quality Pasilla chiles will be somewhat soft and pliable. Older Pasilla chiles will be hard and brittle.
Throughout the US (but especially in California) this dried chile has been constantly mislabeled by wholesalers and grocery stores as a Poblano, which is a fresh green pepper that is known as an Ancho Chile when dried. This has been further compounded over the years by Cal-Mex and Tex-Mex fusion recipes that have made the Ancho and Pasilla Negro Chiles interchangeable.
These chiles actually often paired together in Mexican dishes. Pasilla chiles tend to be a bit milder in heat, and their flavor is more tangy, woody and rich while the Ancho Chile has more heat (4,000-9,000 SHU), is a little fruitier with bitter undertones. Per ounce, Ancho Chiles provide much more pulp than Pasilla Chiles.
Theyāre the signature flavor in tortilla soup; crumble on top for maximum flavor. Whole Pasilla peppers can be rehydrated and stuffed with flavorful blends of meats and cheeses; try stuffing with pork and raisins, or a mix of cheeses like queso fresco and asadero. Blend into adobos, cream sauces or seafood chowder, salsas, enchilada sauce, mole sauce, Texas chili, or use with rich meats like duck or lamb.
Scoville heat rating (SHU) of 1,000 to 2,000