Dried Chili Peppers, what should I do wth them?

[fweck]

Got some dried peppers from Penzys Spices from my mom for Christmas, don't know what I should do with them.

This is what I have:Tien Tsin, China Chili peppers, small like cayenne peppers, about 30 of them, 60,000 heat units. :twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted: :shock::shock::eek:

Ancho chili peppers, 3 of them, 3000 heat units. :twisted:

Arbol chili Pepers, also small like cayene peppers, about 50 of them, 35,000 heat units. :twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted:

Guajillo chili peppers, 5 of them, 6000 heat units. :twisted::twisted:

Any ideas? Bob Brisket?

[bman]

Wow....sounds like you have a good variety of flavors with those peppers.....There should be some interesting replies on good uses for them....Unfortunately, I don't have any idea....

[Cigarbque]

Got some dried peppers from Penzys Spices from my mom for Christmas, don't know what I should do with them.

This is what I have:Tien Tsin, China Chili peppers, small like cayenne peppers, about 30 of them, 60,000 heat units. :twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted: :shock::shock::eek:

Ancho chili peppers, 3 of them, 3000 heat units. :twisted:

Arbol chili Pepers, also small like cayene peppers, about 50 of them, 35,000 heat units. :twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted:

Guajillo chili peppers, 5 of them, 6000 heat units. :twisted::twisted:

Any ideas? Bob Brisket?

Tien Tsin: heat some sesame oil and infuse it with a few of those or grind some up to use as acondiment.

Ancho and Guajillo: Grind up for a great rub ingredient, soak in warm water and grind into a paste to add to chilli.

Arbol: All of the above.

No matter what you do de-seed then heat in a 200 degree oven until they soften a bit and start to have a good aroma. This will bring out the oils in them for a more bold flavor. Good luck.

[NCGuy68]

I use home-grown Ancho and Guajillo (deseeded and ground fine) in Chili. The others are way too hot for my taste, but I know others love them.

In any case, wear gloves and don't rub your eyes when messing with them.

[4TheLoveofBrisket]

Do exactly what Cigarbque said. Heat them in the oven until they are soft and pliable. Then, de-seed them (It's ok if you get a couple seeds in, but try to get rid of as many as you can), and also be sure you get rid of any of the veins in there too. They will be like a brownish color in the dried peppers. Think of the pulpy part of a green pepper or Jalapeno - this is what I'm talking about. They will give a bitter taste if left in. Then, put them in a food processor (or blender if that's all you have), and whizz them up until they are in little pieces. Then, dump them into a spice grinder (or coffee mill, that hasn't had coffee in it yet), and it will grind it into a fine powder. Then you can blend your own custom chili powders. It's much better than the store bought stuff. I use this in Chili, my bbq rubs, and also when I make Enchilada's or Tamales. But be sure you don't omit the food processor or blender part before trying to grind them in the mill or coffee grinder. I burned mine up once because I was being lazy and dindn't feel like getting the food processor out.

[ljh34465]

you can rehydrate any of these by soaking in boiling water for an hour or so. Put in a bowl with the boiling water and then put another bowl on top to keep them submerged.

I do not know the Chinese one.

Arbols make a great but hot salsa - frequently served with carnitas or carne asada tacos served Mexican style, i.e., soft corn tortilla with the meat and white onion and cilantro. Have been to several places that actually bring a small bowl of arbol salsa with the tacos - much hotter than the "regular" table salsa however.

Ancho is the dried poblano and probably the most used chile, IMO.Guajillo are about the same heat but a slightly different flavor.

Google any of them and you should find many uses. The ancho and the guajillo are flavorful but not really hot. I do a sauce for pork tenderloin with OJ and ancho - delicious. PM me if you want the recipe.

And either wear gloves with the hot ones or be sure to wash your hands thoroughly when done. You will only go to the john once without doing that:-D

[Saiko]

Got some dried peppers from Penzys Spices from my mom for Christmas, don't know what I should do with them.

Ancho chili peppers, 3 of them, 3000 heat units.
Guajillo chili peppers, 5 of them, 6000 heat units.

Arbol chili Pepers, also small like cayene peppers, about 50 of them, 35,000 heat units.

Any ideas? Bob Brisket?

Ancho and Guajillo and great in chili, and also as a rub component of just about anything. When I grill any steak, I season with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, then sprinkle on a nice layer of ancho chili powder. Gives great color and flavor, and little heat. I don't bother with the oven or rehydrating them, I just tear them into little pieces and grind them in a coffee grinder to a fine powder. You can also use them to make an enchilada sauce, or even just to season ground beef or chicken for tacos. Ancho is by far my favorite chili.

Arbol are mainly used for heat. I grind them in a coffee grinder along with the seeds and rib to get maximum heat out of them. You can remove the seeds before grinding to reduce the heat a bit. I use them for heat in just about anything, including Asian and Indian cooking. When I make chili, I use a combination of ancho and arbol. Ancho for flavor and color, and arbol for heat.

[cjcullom]

I dehydrate mine with red onion and whole clove garlic. Then I mix in a small food processor until shakeable. Clear the kitchen and wear a full face mask when grinding to keep down the pain. You can also get a needle and thread and skew the stems and hang in the kitchen as edible decoration and pluck as needed