Description
- The cascabel is a plump, round, smooth and small chili that ripens from green to red. When dried, the color darkens to a deep reddish-brown with an almost transparent but thick skin. When mature they are about 1-1/2 in diameter.
- Anaheim and California chiles start out as long, bright green chiles and they turn bright red when ripe. Dried, they are known as Anaheim and California chilies or chile seco del norte.
- The dried chile de arbol (Spanish for tree chili) is a small and potent Mexican chili pepper also known as bird's beak chili. These chilis are about 5 to 7.5 cm (2.0 to 3.0 in) long, and 0.65 to 1 cm (0.26 to 0.39 in) in diameter. Their heat index is between 50,000 - 65,000 Scoville units.
- Guajillo chilies are sometimes used to make a salsa for tamales; the dried fruits (chilies) are seeded, soaked, or simmered, then pulverized or mashed/pureed into a paste, then cooked with several other ingredients to produce a flavorful sauce.
- Chipotles are smoked jalapeno peppers and are used primarily in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines. The harder to find Chipotle "meco" chili peppers are also known as chile "meco" or chipotle tipico.
- Dried and crushed morita chilies are ideal for use in soups, stews, beans, chilis, or other recipes that simmer a long while on a low heat.
- Mulato ancho peppers are dried poblano peppers. The name poblanos pays homage to the native region these chilis were first cultivated which is a city in Mexico called Pueblo.
- The Pasilla pepper is a flavorful ingredient when used in your favorite Mexican recipes such as tacos, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas and tostadas but they also work well in cream sauce dishes (especially for fish) and we also like to be a bit adventurous and use them in meat loaf, beef stew or corn chowder.
- Use puya chiles to flavor meat dishes using chicken, fish, pork or veal. Also adds delightful flavor to breakfast burritos, casseroles, chutneys, cooked vegetables, dips, enchiladas, pizza, salsas, sauces, soups and stews.
- New Mexico Chiles, Capsicum Annuum, are a chile grown in New Mexico. They may also be called Hatch chile or red chile. These chiles are 4.75"-6.75" long and about 2" wide. with a smooth skin and a deep reddish-brown color.
Mexican cuisine is known for its extensive flavor profile and use of local ingredients. This includes its dried chiles, which are used in many different ways to add flavor and spice to dishes.