How To Cook With Dried Chiles Made Easy

Last Updated on November 21, 2021 by

If you have ever wondered how to cook with dried chiles, we have some interesting ideas that you might like to consider when you’re preparing your next Mexican dish.

There are tons of wonderful Mexican recipes that feature a kind of dried chiles, or several, in them. So many, that it simply boggles the mind that it has such a prevalence in cuisine. Yet, many people around the world are simply unaware that they even exist or what they taste like. Especially when you consider that dried chiles come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, it is a bit surprising.

In the end, it just means that there are many countries, particularly those that do love it when their foods are spicy, that just have to play a bit of catch up in this area of cuisine. What many people don’t realize is that dried chiles are very versatile ingredients and they can be used in everything from soups to desserts. They can even be added with great ease to many traditional recipes that have gone unchanged for years, if not centuries.

Jump to Recipe

About Chile Culture

Chiles serve as a form of expression with respect to the cultures that have used them to prepare all kinds of delicious dishes for longer than millennia. In this sense, a lot of people see the story of Mexico as being tied in one way or another to the story of peppers and the way they reflect the cultures that they grow along with.

Cooking With Dried Chiles Got Right

Many people don’t give dried chiles a shot precisely because of their widely known spiciness. However, the degree of this varies a lot and is more than nothing a consideration of the kind of Chile that you use, as well as the amount. Some like to use just a bit to give their dish a hint of the distinct flavor that many peppers have. Conversely, others put a lot of peppers that don’t have too much of a flavor, perhaps resembling something more like beans. After all, it is a vegetable that is on many occasions similar to something like green beans.

If you’re not too well acquainted, you should search out recipes that include peppers and to make a point of noting which ones use them as a primary ingredient.

Types Of Dried Chiles

The great variety of chiles also reflects the range of their appeal across Mexican society. Chipotle is one of the most popular chiles. This bright red chile is popularly used to make salsa and also to compliment all kinds of meat.

Guajillo is a friendly Chile as it is not quite spicy and even has some sweet notes that make it ideal to make adobos that you can serve with chicken and beef.

One of the most used dried chiles is chile de Arbol. This slim red chile is quite spicy and is one of the most preferred chiles when eating tacos. The same can be said about piquin. This small and very spicy Chile is perfect if you´re planning on preparing a hot salsa that will take your tacos to the next level.

If you still would like to enjoy the Chile experience, you cannot go wrong with Chile Morita. This Chile adds an intriguing sweet flavor to your dishes and you’ll be surprised to find that it´s not spicy at all.

The mentioned chiles are called red chiles. If you’re interested in preparing more exotic dishes, you can try dark chiles. Some of these chiles, such as Chile Mulato and Chile pasilla, are used to prepare mole. In general, they are not spicy and add a sweetness that many of the red Chile slack.

Easy Recipe For Dried Chiles

Ingredients

• Chiles of your choice

Equipment

• Knife
• Gloves
• Skillet
• Spatula
• Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the chiles

Remove the stem that is at the top of the Chile. Cut Chile open and remove the seeds. It is recommended that you use gloves to perform this task so that you don’t get enchilada, that is burn your skin with the spiciness of the Chile.

Step 2: Toast the chiles

That the chiles on a skillet. To quicken the process, you can press the chiles against the bottom of the frying pan with the help of a spatula.

Step 3: Soak the chiles

Soak the chiles in boiled water for 5 minutes.

Step 4: Ready to prepare

Remove them from the water. The chiles are ready to be used to prepare salsas or adobos.

How To Use Dried Chiles In Different Dishes

By far and most, dried chiles are used to prepare salsas. Yes, the ones that you can add to a steak or a taco to make it spicier, and of course, more flavorful.

Dried chiles are also the main ingredient for adobos, which is a kind of thick sauce that is cooked with different kinds of meat from chicken to pork. According to the type of chile, these adobos can feature different colors from dark red to orange and bright red. The color is not usually an indicator of how spicy the adobo can be. It all depends on how many chiles you are using, and the complementary ingredients that can soften the adobos spiciness.

Of course, you can always enjoy your salsa just by pouring it on a tortilla, forming a taco. It can be hit tricky especially as you’ll need to balance it to avoid staining your clothes. But, it´s delicious!

Learn more about What Mexican Food Do We Eat In The US Today? Is It Truly Mexican?

Conclusion

So, what to do with dried peppers?

If you love Mexican food and the prominence that chili peppers have within it, you definitely should try your hand at recipes that incorporate dried chili pepper in them. A lot of people are intimidated by the prospect of cooking with them because they appear as though they might not look so fresh. But the reality is that they are full of flavor and can be taken in so many interesting and delicious directions. 

The great thing about learning to cook with dried chilies is that it’s such an inspirational experience that you can adapt to so many other recipes. It adds that little extra something special to something like a nice steak and/or eggs recipe.

Being a fan of spicy foods but unaware of the role dried chiles play is a great place to be as there is so much to explore and learn.

Casia Valdés

Casia is a passionate home cook who loves to share her love of Mexican food with the world. She has been cooking since she was a child, helping her grandmother in the kitchen and learning the traditional techniques used to create delicious Mexican dishes. Casia loves to experiment with new ingredients and flavors, always looking for ways to make her dishes even more flavorful. She is also passionate about teaching others about Mexican cuisine and its rich history. When she is not in the kitchen, Casia enjoys exploring new cultures, traveling, and spending time with her family.