If you like to cook or just like to eat, it might be time that you start exploring the wonderful world of the dried chili. From the sweet earthy flavor of the mild New Mexico, to the relentless sting of the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, these awesome fruits can enhance the flavor profile of any dish.
Maxine and I recently purchased a pressure cooker and it has basically replaced our slow cooker. (at least for the time being.) Throwing a handful of dried chilies on top of anything in the cooker is my obsession of the month. Re hydrate and puree into a wet rub or paste, grind and sprinkle into soups or onto salads, or even mix a little into your ice-cream. The only limit to these little beauties is your imagination. They’re definitely not just for Mexican Food.
New Mexico
It’s slightly pungent, sort of oniony, kind of earthy and pretty mild in heat. Probably about 500 on the Scoville Scale.
California
Also known as Anaheim. Similar in flavor to it’s New Mexico cousin, it’s a little hotter and almost a bit smokey. We’re gonna say about 750 Scoville units. Still fairly mild.
Ancho
These guys are the workhorses of Mexican cuisine. For sure the biggest seller in our store. A bit sweet, a tiny bit smoky with a hint of raisin. Anchos are actually the dried version of the ripened Poblano Pepper and rank at about 1000 on the Scoville heat scale.
Pasilla
Similar in flavor to the Ancho with a hint of tobacco they can reach up to 4000 on our heat scale. Passilla is longer and narrower in shape than the Ancho and is actually a dried Chilaca pepper.
Guajillo
This one is a little more complex. Sweet and tangy like cranberry and a bit smoky. Then there’s the other 10 layers of flavor. Usually about 4K on the on the heater meter.
Cascabel
They are quite hard and have loose seeds rattling around in them hence the nickname “Little Rattles”. They taste a bit nutty, a hint smokey and a little like dry red wine. (ok, that might be a stretch) Moderately spicy at about 4K SHU.
Chipotle
Technically any smoke dried chile is Chipotle, but the most commonly smoked spicy chile is the Jalapeno. The best flavor description other than awesome would have to be awesomely smoky! The average Jalapeno measures about 7500 on the Scoville heat scale.
Arbol
Sort of fresh and grassy flavoured with a hint of smoked nuts and a fist full of heat. Packing a solid punch at roughly 22000 SHU.
Habanero
Now we’re not messin’ around. This super popular little bomb has an awesome unique citrus flavor and kicks really hard at somewhere around 270 000 painful points. You know what they say about staying out of the kitchen.
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
One of the Grand Daddies of the stupidly hot, what’s the point peppers, this bad boy stings at a deadly 2 200 000 units. Yup, that’s 2.2 million Scoville Heat Units. I have no idea what it tastes like.
Sure there are plenty more of these flavor gems out there but these are the ones have at Fresh is Best at 2908 West Broadway in Vancouver. Come in and say hi and we’ll show you where we keep them.