Subject: Chile vs Chili From: Timm Date: 6/17/2024, 2:00 PM To: "phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com"Hey Phaed: Here is some information I have gathered over many years of cooking Timm in Oregon Is it Chile Powder or is it Chili Powder Mexican Chile Powder is just ground dried chile peppers with no other additives like salt, dried herbs or spices. There are as many kinds of chile powder as there are varieties of chile peppers. Most are identified by the name of the pepper; for example ancho chile powder is made with dried ancho chiles, chipotle chile powder with dried chipotle peppers. Chile Powders from around the world are quite different. For example, gochugaru is Korean chile powder. Ground aji panca or aji amarillo are used in Peruvian cooking and Aleppo pepper is commonly used in Turkish, Lebanese, and other Middle Eastern cuisines and goes by a different name depending on their language. Mexican Chili Powder is a seasoning blend, the kind that you use to flavor chili, like chili con carne, Cincinnati chili. It's also used to marinade steak, season soups and breadcrumbs for topping mac and cheese. Chili powder contains other ingredients like cumin, oregano, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, and sometimes salt. Each brand of chili powder has its own blend, so you'll have to check the label on the jar. When Simply Recipes calls for chili powder in a recipe, without identifying the name of a chile pepper in front, they are referring to this seasoning blend. There are seemingly a million chile pepper varieties out there. Here is a quick roundup of the chiles you're most likely to come across in local markets that are good choices for chile sauce. Ancho: The name means "wide chile" in Spanish, a fitting moniker for this wide-shouldered, nearly black pepper, made from ripe poblano peppers. They have a high yield of flesh to skin, which makes them a workhorse in sauces. Anchos are mild with a rich, dark cherry/raisin sweetness. Beware: Ancho chiles are sometimes labeled "pasilla chiles," but they are much wider at the stem than true pasillas. Weight: 2 chiles per ounce California: Shiny red with fairly smooth skins, these are dried, ripe Anaheim chiles with an uncomplicated, sunny flavor that is very mild. They are usually blended with more interesting chiles when making sauces. Weight: 4 chiles per ounce Chipotle: Made by smoking and drying jalapenos, chipotles are often sold canned in tomato sauce as "chipotles in adobo," but they also come in two dried varieties: meco (mellower) and mora/moritas (very spicy). They have a dusty, tan appearance and a woodsy, smoky flavor with quite a bit of heat; they are best in moderation in sauces. Weight: 4 to 10 chiles per ounce Guajillo: These "little gourds" are dried mirasol chiles. They have long, shiny, tapered pods with tough cranberry-red skins. They boast a moderately spicy, tangy flavor with a hint of citrus. Because the skins are tough, be prepared to soak the chiles a bit longer to make them pliable, and be sure to strain the sauce once blended. Weight: 4 chiles per ounce New Mexican: A variation of dried Anaheim chiles, these long, tapered chiles are often labeled "Colorado chiles." Hotter than California chiles, but with the same sunny flavor, they are sometimes crumbled dry over soups or reconstituted for a simple chile puree. Weight: 5 chiles per ounce Pasilla: These long, tapered chiles sport black, wrinkled skins and lend a subtle, prune-like flavor with a whisper of licorice to sauces. Complex and quite spicy, the dark flesh of these "chile negros" yields a mahogany brown puree that is often blended with cream. Weight: 3 chiles per ounce Puya: Similar in flavor, color and shape to the guajillo, puya chiles (sometimes "pulla") are smaller and, more importantly, hotter -- without being scorching. They're virtually nonexistent at supermarkets but are common at Latino markets around town. They're excellent pureed into sauce or fried for chile oil. Weight: 18 chiles per ounce This is just a partial list of the most popular chilies Sources: Most supermarkets tend to have slower turnaround and higher prices when it comes to dried chile pods, so we recommend buying chiles at Mexican markets . You'll find fresher chiles, a wider selection and a better price. Be sure to examine the chiles in the bag carefully; don't buy chiles that have light spots on them it can be a sign of an infestation from field pests. Picking the best dried chiles The popularity of Mexican cuisine is at an all-time high (salsa now outsells ketchup as American's' favorite condiment). That means it's pretty easy to find a wide range of whole dried chile pods just about anywhere. But before you snap up those chiles, give them a squeeze. The best dried chiles are not brittle. They may be very dusty, depending on where they were dried ... but if the chile is brittle it means that it wasn't stored correctly and is past its date," he says. "They should be pliable and soft and give you the feeling that decadence lies below that dark surface. Preparing the chiles If you've ever handled chiles and then touched your eyes or mouth, then you know that even the mildest chiles can irritate your skin, so the first step in making chile sauce is to put on a pair of rubber gloves. Once the gloves are on, open up the chiles lengthwise with kitchen shears and remove the stems, seeds and any light colored veins inside the chiles. This step will remove a lion's share of the heat from the fruit. If you like spicy food, setting aside some of the seeds to add a little extra heat: You can add a lot or just a little of the seeds to make things hotter, and they are a key ingredient to mole, so never throw them out. Once the seeds are removed, the chiles are traditionally toasted in a dry pan or skillet to intensify their flavor. Watch carefully and work in small batches. They should just start to turn color and have dark spots on them; if you overcook the chiles, the sauce will be bitter. Most chiles take just 30 to 40 seconds on each side to toast. This step is not only worth the effort for the complex flavor it lends sauces, but it also gives off a delicious aroma. Toasting chiles on a comal gives off a fragrance that is transcendent. Once the toasting reverie is complete, soak the chiles in hot tap water for about 30 minutes. There's no need to use boiling water; it can actually leach out too much flavor. To transform the reconstituted chiles into a sauce, the chiles are drained (the soaking water is bitter) and pureed in a blender in batches with charred onions and garlic, seasonings and broth. Finally, the sauce is strained to catch any large bits of skin (common with guajillo chiles) or seeds the blender may have missed. If you don't mind a chunky, less refined texture, straining is optional. Cooking the sauce You might think the sauce is done once it has been pureed, but it's not. Taste it and you'll find it's probably quite brash, if not a bit bitter. That's because in order to bring out the complexity and nuances of the chiles, the sauce must be "fried" in a shallow puddle of oil. This melds the elements of the sauce and cooks out the raw flavor of the chiles. Because pouring liquid into hot oil can cause splattering, keep a pot lid handy to protect yourself and pour the chile sauce in all at once. The sauce will sizzle and bubble, but once it has simmered for a few minutes, you can reduce the heat and cook the sauce more gently. After 20 to 30 minutes of simmering, the sauce will bloom and become much more balanced and tasty. Skip this step, and you might as well use chili powder from a jar. After simmering, taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings to suit you. There are variations in flavor and heat even among the same variety of chile pepper, so consider our recipe a guideline. Add honey or sugar if the sauce is too bitter, salt if the sauce is bland or reserved chile seeds if you want a little more heat. Once the sauce is completely cool, it can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months before the flavors begin to fade. Most recipes require 2 cups or less of chile sauce, so it's best to store the sauce in 2 cup containers. Be sure to mark the containers clearly with the date and contents -- you don't want to mistake chile sauce for marinara! Basic Red Chile Sauce Ingredients: 2 medium size onions, peeled and cut through equator into 1/2 inch rings 1 head (15 to 20 cloves) garlic, papery outer skins removed, individual cloves left unpeeled 10 ounces dried ancho chiles 5 ounces guajillo chiles 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 tablespoons vegetable oil About 2 teaspoons brown sugar, packed plus more to taste About 1-1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste Instructions: Adjust the oven rack so that it is 6 inches below the broiling element and preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the onion slices, keep them intact in their round slices, and garlic on the foil in a single layer. Broil until the garlic is charred and tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic, flip the onions with tongs and broil the onions on the second side until they are tender and lightly charred, 10 minutes more; set aside. When garlic has cooled, peel it. Put on rubber gloves and break the stems off the tops of the chiles and shake out the seeds, reserve some to add to the sauce later, if you like heat. Using kitchen scissors cut down the length of each chile and open them up flat. Trim and discard any veins on the inside of the chiles. Turn an exhaust fan on or open a window and place a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the chiles in batches and toast them, pressing down on them with a spatula, until they are slightly blistered and tan spots appear, about 30 seconds per side for the guajillo chiles, 40 seconds per side for the ancho chiles. Do not over-toast the chiles or the sauce will be bitter. Place the toasted chiles in a large bowl and add hot tap water to cover. Place a plate on top of the chiles to keep them submerged and let them soak until softened, 30 minutes. Drain the chiles and blend them in batches in a blender or food processor with the onions, garlic, broth, oregano and cumin; be patient, you may need to stop several times and move the contents around a bit to make sure the sauce becomes evenly smooth. When the last batch of chiles is done, swish out the blender with 1/4 cup of water to get out any of the chile mixture sticking to the bottom and sides of the blender and add it to the sauce. Strain the sauce through a medium-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids or use a food mill. Discard the solids, skins and seeds. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Quickly pour the chile sauce into the pot. Keep a splatter screen or lid handy; the sauce will sputter and spit as it is added to the pot. Reduce heat to maintain a very gentle simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has lost its raw chile flavor, 30 minutes. Add the brown sugar and salt to taste. Cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.