Checking Out the Chiles of Mexican Cooking

Although chile peppers are enjoyed all over the world (China, Thailand, India, and Korea are big chile-growing and -eating countries), no other country matches Mexico's passion for peppers. Mexican farmers grow more than 140 varieties, and Mexican cooks are legendary for their skilled appreciation of every facet (not just the heat) of this complex vegetable that's technically a fruit.

Chiles have been misunderstood as an ingredient, perhaps because of their striking heat. If you stop to appreciate chiles, you'll start to notice a wide range of exotic flavors. From snappy, sparkly jalapeños to smoky chipotles and earthy poblanos, chiles are a light, healthful way to bring a wide range of strong, new flavors to your cooking. Just start with a little at a time, find out what you like, and don't let all the macho hype about the heat deter you.

Shopping for chiles
The names of chiles aren't consistent all over the United States, so study Figure 1 and judge chiles by their appearance and taste, not only their name.

A general rule for predicting the flavor and heat of a chile is the smaller the chile, the hotter the heat. Red indicates a ripe, and probably sweeter, chile than green. Cutting off and tasting a tiny piece of a slice of fresh chile is really the best way to predict its heat and flavor when cooked.


When purchasing fresh chiles, look for bright, smooth, shiny skin and buy about a week's supply. Store the chiles in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator and rinse them before using.

Dried chiles should be fragrant and flexible enough to bend without breaking. Look for unbroken chiles that are not too dusty. (Because chiles are dried outdoors, they can become dirty and dusty and need to be wiped off before cooking.) Store dried chiles in airtight bags in the freezer and let them soften a minute or two at room temperature before using.




Figure 1: Know how to recognize chiles by appearance and taste, because names can differ regionally.
Ancho
Anchos are the dried version of a green pepper, the poblano. This wrinkled red-brown, wide-shouldered chile has a mellow, sweet flavor, similar to a bell pepper, with just a touch of heat. Add it, julienned, to sauces for its chewy texture or pureed at the beginning of a sauce to add body and pure pepper flavor.

Chile de arbol
Arbols, also known as dried red chiles, are the papery thin, long, dried chiles sold by the bag in the supermarket. Used extensively in Chinese and Mexican cooking (they put the pow in Kung Pau chicken), these inexpensive little peppers pack a powerful punch of heat, especially after they're chopped and cooked. To tame their heat, you can add them whole to stews and soups and remove them before serving.

Chile negro or dried pasilla
This long, narrow, dark brown chile is a dried chilaca chile. Similar in flavor to the more popular ancho, pasillas are often used in combination with other dried chiles in traditional moles. Look for them via mail order or in ethnic markets.

Chipotle
Chipotles, or dried, smoked, red jalapeños, are one of those life-changing ingredients. Use these wrinkled, reddish-brown chiles to add a mysterious, smoky, sweet flavor to everything from salad dressings to grilled chicken and salsas.

Although usable as a substitute, canned chipotles en adobo (dried chiles packed in a sweet, sour, spicy sauce) are quite different. They're actually hotter, and their texture is softer. If you use chipotles en adobo, wipe them off to remove excess sauce and reduce by half the quantity of chiles called for in the recipe.

Habañero
This is one little pepper that lives up to its reputation. It's pure heat. Along with the Scotch Bonnet, the habañero is considered the world's hottest chile.

These small, lantern-shaped (usually) peppers are most often used in the Yucatán. You can shop for them at Latin and farmers markets where their color can range from dark green to orange and even red. Fresh, rather than dried habañeros, are preferable. You can substitute a larger quantity of serranos (seeds and all) in a pinch.

Jalapeño, red and green
The jalapeño, America's favorite chile pepper, is a thick-fleshed, small (about 3 inches long), bright green or red pepper. With its sweet, fresh, garden flavor and medium heat, this versatile pepper is great for garnishing just about anything.

In Mexico, jalapeños are eaten as an accompaniment to rich stews and tacos. They're easy to find at the market, but you can substitute serranos if you prefer.

Canned jalapeños aren't a good substitute for fresh peppers because their taste and texture are quite different.


Morita
These small, brown, dried chiles look like thin chipotles but are less smoky with a spicier taste. They are a variety of dried, smoked jalapeño. Use fewer moritas to replace chipotles in a recipe.

Poblano
These dark green, medium-sized, thick-fleshed chiles are wonderful fresh green peppers for cooking. Feature them in soups, sauces, and chilis; and they are a top choice for stuffing because of their wide shoulders, thick skin, and smoldering flesh. They are superb as rajas (roasted pepper strips) because of their meatiness.

Sometimes mislabeled as pasilla in the West, look for smooth-skinned poblano chiles with nice wide shoulders for stuffing. Less spicy, skinnier Anaheims can be substituted for stuffing, but poblanos should be easy to find in a well-stocked supermarket.

Serrano
Small, thin serranos are similar to jalapeños but pack a little more punch. Use the green variety (the reds are a bit sweeter) in salsas and as a raw garnish in salads and soups. They're easy to find at the supermarket, and you can use them interchangeably with jalapeños.

Handling fresh chiles
After chopping or otherwise handling chiles, be mindful of the other surfaces that have come in contact with cut chiles. The hot oils from the cut chiles will spread like, you guessed it, wildfire.

Immediately after handling chiles, wash off your cutting boards, knives, and hands with hot, soapy water. Be careful not to touch your face or eyes before hand washing because chile oil in the eye is extremely painful.


Some cooks like to wear gloves when handling chiles, and some cooks coat their hands with a layer of cooking oil to protect them. Just wash with soap and water to remove the oil.