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Chili Powder

By Mark Bittman

5.0

(1)

Image may contain Spice
Photo by Mike Lorrig

To me, chili powder need not be superhot, but you can change that if you like—just add cayenne or some spicy dried chiles (most of the common dried red ones you find are pretty fiery). But it is easy enough to add heat at any stage of cooking or even at the table, whereas the warm, welcoming flavor of good chili powder is hard to come by. When you’re buying dried chiles, look for those that are not brittle; they should retain some moisture and even be a bit soft.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes about 1/2 cup

Ingredients

4 ancho or 8 dried New Mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 dried hot chile, like chile de árbol, stemmed and seeded, or cayenne to taste
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons dried oregano, preferably from Mexico

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the whole chiles and cumin seeds in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant, just a few minutes; for the last minute of cooking, add the oregano.

    Step 2

    Cool, then grind in a spice or coffee grinder to a fine powder; add cayenne at this stage if you’re using it (some cooks also put in a bit of garlic powder). Store in a tightly covered opaque container for up to several months.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
TagsNew Mexico ChileChileVegetableChile de ÁrbolCookbooks

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