Chipotle chile (dried)

Flavour and aroma

smoky, sweet-hot, earthy, tobacco. Smoky, sweet-hot and earthy.

Heat

Medium

Forms

whole, dried, powder

How to use it

• toast · Toasting technique

  Toast briefly in a dry pan, 10–20 seconds per side, for extra depth (optional).

• soak

  Soak in hot water for 20–30 minutes until soft, then stem, deseed if you want less heat, and blend into salsa or sauce.

• infuse · Simmering technique

  Or add whole to a pot of beans, soup or braise and let it soften and flavour the liquid for 30 minutes or more.

• Salsas and chipotle cream sauces
• Tinga de pollo
• Bean and lentil pots
• Barbecue sauces and rubs
• Marinades for pork and beef

Identifying good quality

Morita: small (4–5 cm), dark red-purple, fairly soft and fruity. Meco: larger, tan to grey-brown, very wrinkled and leathery, with a stronger smoke. Both should smell clearly of wood smoke.

• Not to be confused with Chipotles in adobo: The canned product is the same chilli rehydrated in a tangy tomato sauce; it needs no soaking.
• Not to be confused with Smoked paprika: Smoked paprika is much sweeter and milder.

Origin and history

Origin: Mexico; chipotle is a ripe jalapeño, smoke-dried.. Grown and used: Produced in Mexico (Chihuahua, Veracruz and elsewhere); used in Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking and widely in US barbecue..

The name comes from the Nahuatl chilpoctli, 'smoked chilli', and smoke-drying fleshy chillies is an old Mexican method of preserving them. Chipotles are used in central Mexican dishes such as tinga and in salsas, and since the late 20th century they have become a common flavouring in the US.

Commonly told; not firmly documented