Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers (5 page)

 

An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Dried Chiles

 

A
t some point in pursuing your daily requirement of chile peppers, you may find yourself standing before a bewildering selection of bagged dried chiles. What to do next? Just get excited and recognize that there are no mistakes to be made here, just willingness to get a little burned (but hopefully in a delicious way). Some exclusively Latin stores may not even label their bagged chiles . . . you just have to ask what is what!

 

Use rubber gloves when handling fresh or dried hot chiles. Or if you don’t, just be sure not to rub your eyes (or other sensitive areas; just thought you should know) for a while after handling chile peppers.

 

There are a lot of hot chile pepper slingers out there who are more than willing to profess expertise on this subject. While I may not be a chileologist, the following are some of my favorites:

 

Ancho, guajillo,
or
pasilla
. These earthy, raisiny/fruity chiles range from mild to medium heat and are extremely versatile when used in many sauces and salsas. They go great with Mexican food, of course, but also pair well with American foods whenever you want to add a special chile kick.

 

Chipotle
(which is just a generic term for a dried smoked chile, but jalapeño chipotles rule the roost) chiles are another flexible pepper useful in sauces, stews, and salsas and excellent in marinades.

 

Dried
Peruvian mirasol peppers
are similar in heat to
jalapeños
, with a dark yellow color and warm tropical flavor. Large soft, dried
Peruvian panca peppers
are mild but loaded with delicious, earthy, sweet flavor.

 

There are numerous thin-skinned, shiny red chile peppers that look prettier than their raisinlike cousins and generally range from medium to hot to very hot. Large, tapered
costeños
, fiery thin
chile de arbol
dried chiles, and little hot
pequín
chiles are flavorful and can be stretched out over many uses. I generally like to use them blended with a milder, moister chile such as ancho, for a sauce or salsa that has a full range of flavors and more nuanced heat. As a general guide, I use the seeds from chiles for a hotter final product, but I also like to remove the seeds from soft chiles such as ancho, as they tend be too large and tough. Tiny chiles, such as pequín, usually don’t need to have their seeds removed and can be ground up whole.

 

Different chiles hit our taste buds in different ways. Some hit you immediately with bright heat, whereas others linger toward the back of the palate and build up with every bite. I rarely buy just one bag of dried chiles . . . it’s too much fun to blend and experiment with them, plus they last nearly forever stored in a cool, dark cabinet. (If you do intend to store them forever, keep your chiles in an airtight container or a tin.)

 

 

 

About Ají, or Just When You Thought You Were onto Chiles

 

A
jí
(ah-HEE) is a general term for “chile pepper,” used primarily in South America and the Latin Caribbean. Hundreds of varieties exist and each region has its favorites, from the
ají dulce
of Puerto Rico and Cuba to the
ají amarillo
and
ají panca
of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Unfortunately, most of these chiles are difficult to find fresh in the United States, but it’s easier to find them as jarred pastes (or
crema
) that blend effortlessly into sauces and soups. Always refrigerate jars of
ají
paste after opening.

 

These
ajís
in this easy-to-use paste form have steadily become a regular in my cooking. They could become a whole new way for you to enjoy spicy Latin food (beyond more familiar Mexican cuisine), too! Look for these superconvenient
ají
pastes wherever South American groceries can be found, or order them online.

 

Ají amarillo
is a yellow chile pepper found throughout Peruvian and Bolivian cuisine. It’s shaped a little like a large jalapeño with a wide end at the stem and a rounded taper at the other end. With deep yellow-orange flesh, a heat level somewhat less than a jalapeño, and a sweet, fruity finish, I am certain it could take North American chile fans by storm if given a chance.

 

Ají panca
is a large, tapered dark red chile with an irresistible deep earthy flavor with strong sweet notes of ripe fruit, smoke, and red and black berries. It is very mild, more so than red ancho chiles, but packs so much flavor. The paste made from this
ají
is my favorite in marinades, sauces, and dressings.

 

Ají rocoto
is a general term for a group of large, rounded South American chiles that are fiery and flavorful. A jar of rocoto paste will last you, unless you are a true hot sauce freak. I’ve also found frozen rocoto
,
that make a nice addition finely minced and use sparingly, in fresh salsas or tossed into ceviches.

 

If you can’t find premade pastes, you can improvise with dried
ají
. For about 1 tablespoon of amarillo paste, take one dried
ají amarillo
, remove the seeds and stem, tear into pieces, soak in 2 tablespoons of boiling water until soft, and then grind into a paste. Follow this same technique for the other chiles, adjusting the liquid to a little more if using very large dried chiles.

 

If you’re lucky enough to find frozen whole
ají
(or fresh, lucky you!), slice and seed the chiles. Cover with boiling water and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain, reserve the soaking liquid, and peel the skins off, if desired (this is traditional but if I’m feeling lazy, I don’t bother). Puree the chiles in a food processor, scrape the sides a few times, and pour in enough reserved soaking liquid to form a smooth paste. Or roast to remove the skins, for a different flavor. Use this fresh paste as soon as possible. Estimate about one whole amarillo-size
ají
for every tablespoon of sauce.

 

 

 

Latin Hot Sauce

 

F
ans of Latin food, in particular Mexican cuisine, just have to have a bottle of hot sauce. The hot sauce one is raised with tends to be a lifelong relationship, so I’m not about to steer anyone away from their partner-in-hot sauce. But if you’re shopping around, the following are good, authentic sauces to test out. Avoid using American-style hot sauces with Latin food; it just ain’t right. A good hot sauce is an affordable luxury that makes just about anything taste better.

 

Tapatío
(that handsome sombrero man) is always a safe and moderately spicy bet for beans, tacos, marinades, and even Micheladas (page 220).
Valentina
is another good choice, and
Cholula
is a saucy lady whose mellow ways are for hot sauce newbies.
El Yucateco
habanero hot sauces are a great way to enjoy this feisty pepper on just about anything.

 

Although Mexican sauces get lots of face time, try out other regional hot sauces. I like Ecuadorian hot sauces, typically thick and moderately spicy concoctions seasoned with tomatoes and garlic.