Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 9:36 am
by garden5
I guess it's all a matter of personal preference. Some like a lot in their chili powder, while others just like that taste of a chili.
I think it'd be a great idea to mix different types of chilies, that would give you a nice variety of flavors.
TZ, great info about the blender/caning jar compatibility.
Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 10:53 am
by TZ -OH6
I think traditional American cooking (the Betty Crocker generation) has corrupted the use of powdered chiles by the use of "chile powder" which is a combination containing cumin and cayenne pepper. It is used to add "taco-Mexican" flavor (= cumin) and some heat, not chile flavor. Also, corrupted is the use of paprika powder (for coloring not flavor). I bet the little red can of paprika in many kitchens is 10 years old and is nothing more than reddish sawdust used to color deviled eggs for 4th of July potlucks.
I was yanked out of that mindset when I bought a simple cookbook for Mexican cuisine a while back and some of the recipes (chile colorado, chile con carne) called for three each dried ancho, pasilla and guajillo peppers (seed ribs left in or out depending on heat preference), which is a lot more pepper than the teaspoon-tablespoon of chile powder normally seen in similar recipes. The dried peppers are soaked in warm water and then liquified in a blender if you don't have powder on hand, and since it is easer to find dried chiles in stores than ground chiles, that is the usual way I do it. I think most of the recipes work out to around three dried chiles per pound of meat. You can find some of these red sauce dishes in good Mexican restaurants. Mole sauces are in the same class but contain more ingredients.
Some traditional Hungarian recipes (goulash et al) use paprika in similar amounts.