Make Your Own Chili Powder

Now, the following recipe is a guide -- something you can go by. The
whole point of making your own chili powder is to make it to your own
personal taste.

Assemble the following ingredients:

For mildness and flavor:

* 4 Ancho chiles (dried poblanos)
* 3 Dried New Mexico chiles

For heat:

* 3 to 5 Dried Chiles de Arbol or Cayenne

For flavor:

* 2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted
* 2 tablespoons garlic powder
* 2 teaspoons ground oregano (Mexican oregano, if you can get it)

Preheat your oven to 300° F.

Remove stems and seeds from all the chiles. Cut each chile in half
with scissors and flatten the pieces. Incidentally, good dried chiles
will still have some moisture in them and be fairly pliable. Don't use
dried chiles that are so dry and fragile that they shatter when
touched. Chile ristras and wreaths are wonderful decorative accents,
but the chiles dry out and lose their flavor.


Put the chiles in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 4 or 5
minutes. Remove the pan and check the chiles (they cool almost
immediately). The smaller chiles will be toasted first, so remove them
and set aside. Bake the larger pieces another 4 minutes and check
again. The poblanos will be done last, but as portions of them toast,
break them off and set aside returning the pan to the oven if
necessary.

When all chiles are toasted and crispy, break each piece into two or
three pieces and place in a blender. Pulse briefly until you have
powder.

Toast the cumin seeds by placing them in a dry skillet over medium
heat. Stir the seeds constantly being very careful not to let them
scorch. When they are a few shades darker than the untoasted seeds,
they are ready. Grind the toasted seeds with a mortar and pestle or
with a rolling pin between two sheets of waxed paper.

Add the ground cumin, garlic powder and oregano to the ground chiles
in the blender. Pulse a few more times to thoroughly mix the powder,
and you're through. You should have about 1 cup of chili powder,
depending upon the size of your chiles.

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Then there's a fast (mild) version - add Cayenne or some other pepper
for heat.

Quick Chili Powder

1 cup Ancho Powder

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin


Combine all of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir until
thoroughly blended. Store the chili powder in an airtight container.