Sometimes you’ve got to get just a bit creative when you can’t find one of your favorite spice ingredients. I keep about 30 different spices in my cupboard at any given time and one of my favorites is Ancho Chili.
You’d think that Ancho would be easy to find inSouthern California with its large Hispanic population and numerous “bodegas” but I haven’t had much success finding it. Ancho, by the way, is a favorite of chefs like Bobby Flay who describes the aroma and flavor as a “smoky raisin”. And it does interesting things to all sorts of food—especially Mexican or Southwestern dishes.
Not having a whole lot to do a couple of days ago, Mrs. CB and I took a walk to a couple of “bodegas” near where we live to try and find dried poblano chilis which are what Ancho powder is made of. We found passila passing itself off as Ancho and I knew that wasn’t what I wanted. We finally strolled into “Los Hermanos des Reyes”, a storefront 2 blocks away from where we live that makes incredible tortillas, tasty tamales and fries up huge sheets of chicharones.
And sitting in a bin, hidden at the bottom of the display of dried chilis I found dried poblanos. Fantastic! $5.99 a pound. The good news is that I only needed an ounce or two.
I got them home and here’s how I converted them from chilis to a powdery spice:
Recipe: Ancho Chili Powder
Summary: Ancho Chili Powder is a terrific ingredient–but it can be hard to find. Here’s how to make your own.
Ingredients
- 5-6 dried poblano chilis
Instructions
- Cut the tops of each chili and then slice the chili in 2 lengthwise.
- Remove all seeds from the inside of each chili.
- Place the chilis onto a baking sheet and put into a 300 degree oven to dry—about 15 minutes.
- You want to dry the chili so that when it’s ground up it creates a powder rather than a paste.
- Get out your coffee grinder (if you have one—a food processor can be used too). Crumble up 2 or 3 chilis in your hand and drop into the grinder and then grind up until what you have left is a gorgeous purplish powder.
- Finally, put the powder into a shaker container (I’ve got a bunch of them saved from old spice containers).
Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 20 minute(s)
Culinary tradition: Mexican
My rating 5 stars: ★★★★★ 1 review(s)
Use it in sauces, on meats, in marinades. It will add depth of flavor, smokiness and a “southwest” flavor without adding heat.
The Cheap Bastid Test: I bought 5 chilis—about an ounce and a half. Total cost $.60.
That’s the Cheap Bastid Way: Eat Good. Eat Cheap. Be Grateful!
