Food: Powders, Pastes, and Sauces of Chillies

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Powders, Pastes, and Sauces of Chillies
Sunday, October 29, 2006

The use of chillies for adding savor to numerous food recipes is no less than a rule among cooking enthusiasts. While fresh chillies with salad lure the palate at the dining table, dried chillies make the dishes hotter and invigorating. Today, the cooking hands use chillies in different forms like powder, pastes, and sauce. Each of these forms is available from most groceries, and here we'll show you some popular forms of this spicy commodity.

Chilli Powders

Chillies powder is a type of widely used spices. In America, grounded chillies and crushed herbs are mixed to make chilli powder. The mixture usually includes pure ground chillies, cumin, oregano, and garlic. Depending on the relative proportions of these ingredients, different tastes are prepared to go by different names. Ancho or pasilla chilli powder, for example, is very popular. Other commonly used items in making the powder include onions, allspice, and salt. This powder is unique in that it gives the flavor of chillies but is not too hot to blaze the palate. Hot or Mexican chilli powder is another more fiery variety for making moderately hot dishes. Across the Atlantic, chilli powder usually consists of pure (coarsely) ground chillies. British chilli powder is generally more pungent than the darker American powder.

On the whole, it is best to buy a chilli powder that has a deep rich color and is neither too dry nor too fine. A slightly lumpy form is the best choice since it is the one in which natural oils are not lost. It should give an intense aroma on rubbing and leave a slight stain on fingers.

Varieties of Chilli Powder

Following are some of the more cherished verities of chilli powder.

Cayenne

Often called cayenne pepper, this type of chilli powder is made from a single variety of chilli. It is pungent, finely ground, and deep-colored.

Red Pepper

Red pepper comes from Turkey. Made from pungent but not very potent chillies, it has a flavor that is enhanced by roasting.

Korean Chilli Powder

Known to be one of the finest of all chilli powders, Korean Chilli Powder is a rather mild and coarse powder with glowing carmine color and a taste that lies between cayenne and paprika.

Paprika

Paprika is the specialty of Hungarian cuisine. It ranges from mild to sweet, warm, and pungent. However, it is never too hot though it has a slightly bitter aftertaste. Paprika varies in color from rose red to deep scarlet. While some cooks recommend storing it in the fridge, paprika is best used soon after opening.

Chilli Flakes

These are dried and crushed red chillies, also known by the name chilli caribe. New Mexico chillies are especially used for making this variety, one that is always hot. Chilli flakes are used for adding heat to sausages, pickles, and sauces.

Chilli Pastes

Chilli paste is basically a thick puree, varying in intensity, available from specialist delicatessens. Chilli paste is used either on its own or as part of a chilli sauce. Thai cuisine is especially known for its many flavors of chilli pastes that come by a variety of names. These include Kaeng Phet Curry Paste, Massamun Curry Paste, Kaeng Kari Curry Paste etc.

Chilli Sauces

Many chilli sauces, or hot pepper sauces as they are called sometimes, are popular in hot cuisines. One of the most famous is the Tabasco, made from the fermented Tabasco chilli, vinegar, and salt. The Tabasco chilli comes from the Tabasco state of Mexico. It is a small, red, fiery chilli not commercially available. The history of its use dates back to the American Civil War. With time, Tabasco chilli sauce has met great competition from other varieties of chilli sauce e.g. the hot pepper sauces from the West Indies which are made from Habaneros (country peppers or bird peppers). These are one of the hottest peppers on earth. Other popular sauces from the Caribbean include Jamaica Hellfire, Hell In A Bottle, and Melinda's XXXtra Hot Sauce.

Chilli Oils

Chinese chilli oil is perhaps the best known of all chilli oils. It is prepared by heating together dried red chillies and vegetable oil. Many cooks like to make their own chilli oils. By simply steeping dried red chillies in oil, they prepare a tasty product for cooking. Besides cooking, this oil is used in salad dressings. Some cooks add bruised garlic to it for additional flavor.

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