Did you know that most “chili”, chile powder that is sold in the spice isle is actually a blend of spices? If you read the label, many times it is not a pure chile powder. Cumin, salt and other spices may be added. And if you go for the pure chile powder, like ancho, they can be quite expensive for just a few ounces. For a couple of years now, I have been preparing my own chile powder in small batches. My homemade pork chorizo is prepared from freshly toasted and ground chiles and spices. Find the link below to prepare your own Mexican chorizo at home! It’s takes a little while to process all of them in my small coffee grinder, but it’s well worth the effort. When I find myself with too many dried chile pods, it’s much easier to toast and grind them into powder form. Easier to store and I can preserve their freshness alot longer. I was recently asked how much powder would one chile ancho pod yield when ground to a powder form. Good question! Here are the results.
Chile Ancho Powder
3 ounces dried chile ancho pods
coffee grinder
comal or griddle
Directions
Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles. Place chile pods on a preheated comal(griddle).
Toast for about 15 to 20 seconds per side. The chiles will become aromatic and you should see a light smoke.
Never leave them unattended or they can burn and become bitter.
Tear the chiles into smaller pieces. Place pieces into a coffee grinder and grind in batches until you have a fine powder.
Three ounces yields about 6-7 loose tablespoons of powder.
One average pod yields about 1 1/2 tablespoons of powder.
Store chile pods in a cool dry space.
A dry, hot metal comal works best for toasting dried chiles.
The fresher the dried chile ancho pods are, the more bright red the powder or sauce will be.
Fresh blended chile powder can be stored in the refrigerator. Blend with boiling water to rehydrate instantly!
Check out my post on how to prepare homemade chorizo. I tested three different methods.
https://pinaenlacocina.com/preparing-mexican-chorizo-at-home-three-tested-recipes/
Ernesto
This article has valuable information,most people only use chili powder when preparing chili, and I often got asked what kind of chili’s are in the powder? I knew it consisted of more then one chili, and which kind but I never prepared my own. great information, well worth sharing and as well as trying myself.
Thanks
Ernesto`
realchange4u
I have searched until my eyes hurt to find someone that would share how to use Chile powder in my dishes. Thank you so much. I have Chile powder but do not know how to prepare it to use for like enchiladas and other dishes. So I can season with it and make sauces with it. Could you help me with this please.
Sonia
On my blog I have recipes for Texas-style enchilada sauce prepared with chile powder. Search Easy Enchilada Sauce. I have recipe for albondigas in adobo. The adobo is prepared with chile powder also. You can rehydrate you chile powders by blending in a blender with water that you boiled, Add other spices, like cumin, garlic, oregano, clove and cinnamon to prepare an adobo for marinating meats. I typically add some vinegar and maybe a dried chile like arbol to make it spicy. Go easy on the clove and cinnamon or they will over power the flavors of everything else.
Angel
Wow! What a great idea! You mean I don’t have to fry or boil chiles beforehand for dishes? I can just toast them? This is a wonderful idea! Will the sauce come out the same? Does this mean one would have to put them in a blender, mix them, add whatever spices and then pan fry the whole thing? Then add broth or water? I have bags of chiles in my garage. I keep them as air tight as I can, but sometimes, I find mold gets to them and I have to dump them all!
Sonia
You would use is as you would any chile powder in recipes. To rehydrate it, you would add about 1/2 c of chile powder to the blender with other spices like garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper… Then you pour in water that was almost ready to boil. Cover and carefully blend, making sure the lid is secure. I just toast the peppers slightly beforehand. Then grind them to a powder. You can fry the paste a bit once to rehydrate and then add your favorite broth.