I got all those pepper powders from Savory Spice, and I had most of the other stuff in the pantry, so I thought, sure, why not.
I wasn’t sure where to start, so I decided on a ratio of 4 parts peppers to one part cumin and 1/2 part garlic powder.
I used 2 T each of ancho, red New Mexican, aji amarillo, and dark New Mexican, 2 T of cumin, 1 T of garlic powder, and then I crumbled Mexican oregano between my fingers into the mix until it looked right; maybe a half a T?
I stirred that stuff up and adjusted the flavors. The peppers taste very different from each other: the aji is really bright, the dark NM is bold, the ancho and the red NM are sweet, but different, the ancho being more complex. I wound up adding more dark NM, and a little more garlic and cumin. The dark NM is that classic chili flavor.
Verdict: excellent. I compared it to the American standard, McCormick’s... McCormick’s is really bad. I’m throwing out the mcCormick’s.
This, on the other hand, tastes like an uncooked bowl of chili. No one uses those aji peppers. I recommend them highly, they are really interesting. Without overpowering the mix, they give it a real flair. They give the finished product that orange-ish cast.
When you do it yourself, and I know you will, the most important thing I think is the pepper:cumin ratio. 4:1 is a start, you might like more or less. Also, consider paprika for brightness, chipotle for smokiness, cayenne for heat. Garlic powder and Mexican oregano are modifiers, nuances. In fact, if you can’t find Mexican oregano, I think it would be okay to leave it out. With everyone’s taste buds being different, you can make chili powder that YOU like, not what someone else likes.
Oh, the spice jars I got from some place called The Talented Kitchen. They came with labels, a funnel, and two sets of lids, one set with large shaker holes and one set with small shaker holes. I forget what I paid, but it was under $20 for 14 4oz jars.
I wasn’t sure where to start, so I decided on a ratio of 4 parts peppers to one part cumin and 1/2 part garlic powder.
I used 2 T each of ancho, red New Mexican, aji amarillo, and dark New Mexican, 2 T of cumin, 1 T of garlic powder, and then I crumbled Mexican oregano between my fingers into the mix until it looked right; maybe a half a T?
I stirred that stuff up and adjusted the flavors. The peppers taste very different from each other: the aji is really bright, the dark NM is bold, the ancho and the red NM are sweet, but different, the ancho being more complex. I wound up adding more dark NM, and a little more garlic and cumin. The dark NM is that classic chili flavor.
Verdict: excellent. I compared it to the American standard, McCormick’s... McCormick’s is really bad. I’m throwing out the mcCormick’s.
This, on the other hand, tastes like an uncooked bowl of chili. No one uses those aji peppers. I recommend them highly, they are really interesting. Without overpowering the mix, they give it a real flair. They give the finished product that orange-ish cast.
When you do it yourself, and I know you will, the most important thing I think is the pepper:cumin ratio. 4:1 is a start, you might like more or less. Also, consider paprika for brightness, chipotle for smokiness, cayenne for heat. Garlic powder and Mexican oregano are modifiers, nuances. In fact, if you can’t find Mexican oregano, I think it would be okay to leave it out. With everyone’s taste buds being different, you can make chili powder that YOU like, not what someone else likes.
Oh, the spice jars I got from some place called The Talented Kitchen. They came with labels, a funnel, and two sets of lids, one set with large shaker holes and one set with small shaker holes. I forget what I paid, but it was under $20 for 14 4oz jars.
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